Serene of Cyrodiil
by minque
Summary: Serene has now arrived in Vvardenfell....what will become of her? Why was she shipped there in the first place? The answer is not what you think it is!
1. Chapter 1

_History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again._**_Maya Angelou_**

**Dedication**

_This work is dedicated to Treydog, whose enthusiasm encouraged me to really write this story_

**Prologue.**

Alone at last, I close the door behind me as I enter the small room which serves as my private library. I'm proud to say that I probably have the most complete collection of books in Vvardenfell these days, though it has taken me the last seven years to get it.

As I tucked my daughter into bed a while ago, I decided that now the time had come to write down my story. Mostly for her sake, but also for me; I need to get it off my mind, in order to continue with my life and to be able to fulfill the tasks that lie before me. Then there are the numerous questions asked by the little girl lying in the next room, unaware of the fact that she's a miracle of the Age. . Questions about why there are so few children around and why they all seem to be nearly the same age, that is, age 5 and lower. Questions about why everyone she meets looks at me, her mother, with admiration and respect. Questions about why there is a non-ending row of visitors who want to see me and so keep me from being with her, like a normal mother would be.

I know the answers to her questions, but providing those answers means I will have to tell her the whole story, the story about me, Serene of Cyrodiil, a legionnaire's daughter of uncertain heritage, who has become one of the most powerful and famous people in Vvardenfell….

**Chapter 1 Cyrodiil**

The day that changed my life forever, was indeed meant to change it…..but not in the way it did……..

I was standing in front of the big mirror in my dressing-room, merely appreciating the sight….I probably would have a good time at the grand feast my parents were holding for me, to celebrate my 16th birthday. That day was today and I was waiting for my mother to come and help me with my hair. She wasn't eager to let Ranya, my dunmer maid, perform this delicate task, knowing that the devoted girl would listen too closely to my suggestions of how my long, auburn hair should be arranged.

The festivities also had another purpose- a lot of young, promising legionnaires were invited, all eager to marry the daughter of the great General in the Imperial Legion, Rufus Vantinius, my beloved father. So finding a suitable husband for me was one of today's missions for my parents.

I slowly turned around, watching my exquisite skirt whirl around the waist; it was a lovely creation in dark gold-beige and amethyst-blue, embroidered with pearls around the lining. With that I wore a tight semi-transparent blouse in beige which revealed a lot more of me than my mother would be satisfied with. But since I was old enough to be the object of the "marriage-open-market" why not tease the hunters a bit?

I knew my mother would want me to put on the beautiful robe which she inherited from her mother, and which now was given to me. In fact it was a great piece of handicraft; my grandmother made it for her wedding….ages ago, from thick heavy wool, in a dark red colour with thick grey wolf-fur on the hood and lining. My grandmother, Reidun Ingjaldsdottír, was born and raised in Falcreath in the province of Skyrim, being originally of Nordic heritage, and that's where the fur came from. My grandfather got her as a reward for saving her father's life in a fight there.

At first Reidun resented her master and "owner," Larrius Macrinius, captain in the Legion. But afterwards they settled down in Falcreath, so Reidun in fact not was driven from her native lands, she started to like him and soon even love him. Their marriage was a great celebration with a huge mass of food and drink, and Reidun had made the famous robe just for the occasion to protect her both from the everlasting coldness of Skyrim and also from the lustful eyes of the drunken male wedding guests.

Shortly after their marriage they set off for The Imperial City, where Larrius rapidly advanced in his career with the Legion. My mother, Larissa, and her twin-brother, Larrius II, were born short after my grandfather became General.

"Serene! Are you out of your mind? Just standing there dreaming and admiring yourself! We are short of time as it is, and you are far from being presentable!"

My mother's sharp voice abruptly awakened me from my daydreams, and I sighed and sat down on the little pallet in front of the mirror. Mother Larissa started to brush my hair with a ferocity coming from her nervousness at not having full control of the situation (as she usually had!)

I sat calmly and stared right into the mirror, watched my mother's face and appearance, and noticed that I certainly hadn't gotten my looks from her….She was a short sturdy woman, round-faced, with dark blonde hair in a fancy arrangement, her brown eyes peering sternly at me…..BROWN EYES!

I jumped to my feet when I discovered the fact that my mother's eyes were brown, a fact I hadn't given one thought about before…It couldn't be! It was impossible- mine were dark blue with a touch of amethyst-violet, like my father's. Well, his were more bright blue, but …..I had just learned about genetics at the Lyceum for better-off Imperial young women, and one thing was made crystal-clear, there's only 50 chance that an offspring from one brown-eyed and one blue-eyed parent can get blue eyes…..then add the fact that I didn't resemble my mother at all; I was tall, thin and my face was slim and delicate with pointed cheek-bones….There was something really fishy going on……..

"How come I have blue eyes when yours are brown?" I screamed as I stood before my mother, trembling with a strange terror. I so wanted her to ease me and explain that I really WAS one of that 50 that could get blue eyes. My heart sank when I saw her reaction to my outrage..

Larissa Vantinius went pale and sat down heavily on my bed, her hands covering her face, tears running down her cheeks.

"Oh, Renie, darling," she sobbed, "I was hoping you'd never find out!"

"Find out what?" My voice was sharp and I was shaking in earnest by now, tears burning behind my eye-lids as I felt the ground beneath my feet fade away.

My mother wiped her face and composed herself, straightened her back and started telling me who I really was

"Serene, you might as well be told the truth now, there'll be no better opportunity…."

"It was a chilly morning, 16 years ago, 27 First Seed." Larissa started. "I couldn't sleep so I went down to the grand living room to drink a glass of cyrodiilic brandy, you know I usually do that, don't you?"

I nodded and she continued – "Then I thought I'd go outside for a while to get a breath of fresh air. When I opened the front door I almost stumbled over a worn, open chest that was right in front of me on the staircase." Larissa's eyes filled with tears again and she was silent…. I began to feel a chill down my back, and sweat was beading on my brow and under my arms, as I forced my mother to continue her gruesome story.

"When I looked down I saw a little baby-girl lying in the chest, all naked with just an old dirty piece of cloth wrapped around her legs. The baby looked dead and there was a note pinned to the cloth."

I consider myself be an intelligent girl with a lot of imagination, so by now I was aware what my mother was getting at! This indeed was a nightmare; I couldn't hold back anymore, a flood of tears ran down my face, and I cried out my rage and fear, whilst my mother gently massaged my shoulders

"Yes Renie, that baby-girl was you! The note on the cloth said: 'You have to look after her for I cannot. She belongs to this house and I have named her Serene, she was born 6 days ago'….and that was it! No more information….So what could I do?" Larissa continued, "I took you inside and tried to warm you up, then you opened your wonderful amethyst-blue eyes and just looked at me with a serenity that amazed me…..No wonder your biological mother named you the way she did!"

"But then again, a 6-day-old baby needs breast-feeding, and where could I find someone who just had a baby?"

"You certainly cried out your urge for some nourishment," Larissa smiled. "Then I remembered that one of the kitchen-maids recently had a baby, but I didn't remember actually seeing the child. I went to the servants' house and asked around. By now most of the staff were awake and very curious about the noise from the main building."

"Oh Mistress Larissa, a baby-girl! Two or three of the young kitchen-maids were hanging around me and tried to calm you down, 'She's hungry I bet,' Aantje, one of the more clever maids stated, 'why Marthona just lost her son, maybe she can help, she's crying over her spilled milk….'"

" I hesitated at first," Larissa sighed, "Marthona indeed was one of our most valuable servants; she was a magician and healer, BUT she also was an Altmer! And you Renie, were not, you were definitely of cyrodiilic heritage. I wasn't so keen on letting a woman of another race feed you- one never knows how that can end up!"

"But there was no choice, either Marthona was to feed you or you would just die!"

By now I was listening to my mother's story with a cold empty feeling in my stomach; I didn't cry anymore, but my nose was running and my blouse was soaked with sweat and I certainly wasn't in the mood for a birthday celebration anymore….. Or for dating some high-bred would-be cyrodiil Legionnaire.

But then again, I realized that I always had been interested in plants and herbs and what can be made from them; I also remembered that I always had a good hand with injured animals……..and last but not least, I always had and still have very warm feelings towards Marthona. Maybe some Altmer-magic went through the breast-tissue-barrier and into the milk I drank……?

"Did you ever learn who left me on the stairs?" I asked solemnly.

"No I didn't…..but coincidentally, your grandmother, that's on your father's side, lost a parlour-maid at that time. That's odd but I wouldn't assume that this girl is, or was your real mother."

My father the General entered the room, his face red with anger- well, of course; the guests had arrived and none of his family had come down to welcome all the mighty officers and their wives and children

"WHAT are you doing up here?" he shouted. "SERENE! Just look at you, there will be NO marriage-proposals for you, if you don't straighten yourself up…And for the sake of Zenithar, take off that ghastly blouse! It's all wet and you show so much of yourself that you can as well come down naked!…Besides…You SMELL!"

"Rufus dear," my mother said in a low voice, "she had to be told the truth about her uncertain roots"…..she bowed her head down and waited for the thunderstorm to break out!

Then I instinctively knew my father was having a heart-attack; his face went bluish-red, his eyes were on fire and he gasped desperately for his breath.

"RUFUS!" My mother screamed as her husband fell down on the thick red carpet, "Rufus! Talk to me! HELP! Serene, call for a healer, call for anything!"

I did nothing of the sort; an ice-cold cloud came over me and I just knelt at my father's side and put my hands gently on his chest. I could feel his heart beating far to irregularly and his lungs struggling for air.

As I closed my eyes and concentrated on the desperate heart, I could feel the clot that hindered the blood from flowing in one of the coronary arteries….I trembled, this I'd never done before, at least not on a human being, and certainly not on one so close to me… I felt waves of energy floating from me to him; it was exhausting, sweat was running down my back, from my armpits and between my breasts…..I was forcing the clot to dissolve to let the blood-stream free again, it was slowly getting softer. Suddenly my fingers felt a tremble deep inside his chest …….

"Rufus!" Larissa whispered, "Oh Renie, he's coming back to us," she sobbed quietly and bent over him, covering his face with light kisses.

I rose and looked at his face; it was its normal dark-reddish again, the colour of too much cyrodiilic Brandy and too much crab-meat-stew with fried ash- yam…..and no exercise whatsoever, unless you count the few steps to "Semirama´s Hanging Gardens," the legionnaires' playground-of the-year. Well, in fact, it's a decent restaurant mostly, but when invaded by legionnaires off-duty it becomes Oblivion's kitchen, too much booze and fatty food…

My mother and most of the guests now were occupied by helping Father to his bedroom, so I decided that it was time for me to stand on my own feet. I tore off my soaked, smelly clothes, went into the wash room and poured a bucket of water over myself, and immediately I felt better- amazing what a little hygiene does !

I found some common skirts and blouses in Ranya´s closet, and left a note telling her that she could take whatever she wanted in my closet, then packed a leather satchel with one set of her clothing, and put on the other. The last thing I did was to pack the gorgeous red robe and off I went…..without looking back.

I now had paid for the care that was given to me by saving my father's life, at least that was what I chose to think as I was walking through the streets of The Imperial City, hoping none of the patrolling legionnaires should stop me and ask what General Vantinius´s little Renie was doing alone walking the streets in the middle of the night.

I was extremely tired and wanted more than ever to lie down for a bit…..but that kind of behaviour was not allowed in the City, not even in parks, on benches! There are stories about people being arrested for sleeping in parks, or even picking flowers there…..

Coming out from the City into the beautiful Nibenay Valley I felt at ease for the first time since morning. I knew the valley like my own pocket. Marthona went there every day to collect medical herbs and plants and practise different magic skills and I followed her, although my parents (or whatever I'll call them from now on) did not approve. So I had to sneak out every time…..which made me extremely skilled in sneaking, an ability that might be called the "Rise and Fall of Serene Vantinius."

As I slowly walked along the Nibenay River I thought about how this day had forever changed my life. I'd never go back to Vantinius Manor; I didn't belong there anymore, not being the legitimate daughter of Rufus and Larissa. I also wondered why I never had any brothers and sisters…..Why would an Imperial General settle for only one heir? And that heir being a GIRL? Something was very wrong here and I couldn't figure out what it was. I then noticed a flickering light to my left. My first thought was that my father's men had found me, because I was sure they were sent out looking for me. No way would General Vantinius cope with the humiliation of a run-away daughter, even if that daughter was not of his own blood-line.

I quickly hid myself behind a gigantic cork-bulb plant growing beside the winding path. Not a sound could be heard, but the light was still there. I sneaked slowly towards it and then it was all clear… It was a lit-up window in a small shack and the flickering was just the trees waving in the chilly breeze….. I also by then knew what house it must be; I had found the Dunmer-settlement that was known to be somewhere in the Valley. Very few people actually knew about this little "village," but as Ranya and I had become friends, she had told me about it. The Dunmers that inhabited this settlement were working in The City as underpaid semi-slaves, doing all the dirty work that the native Cyrodiils were too high-up to do. I remembered that I actually had been here, once or twice, together with Ranya, when I was a little girl, naturally in secret; my father would never allow me to mix with, as he used to say, "Minor races."

When I entered the settlement I looked for the shack where Ranya´s family lived; at least they had met me and hopefully wouldn't try to chase me away. As with all Dunmers there were a lot of people living in the same small building, so when I entered there were seven pairs of reddish eyes glaring at me with suspicion. I removed the hood of my robe to reveal my face.

"Serene!" Tamara, Ranya´s elder sister, flung herself up from her seat near the fire. "What in the name of Almalexia are you doing here? What's happened to you? You look awful!"

"Thank you," I replied with a twisted grin and felt the tears rising in my eyes, "now I know I'm with friends"

Tamara embraced me and held me tight to her chest while I cried my eyes out. When I calmed down a bit I thought of how wonderfully friendly these people were, considering they had not seen me for quite some years. I dried my face and sat down by the fire. It was early morning; the family had just started their breakfast and I was treated with what food and drink they had; hot Hackle-lo-tea, freshly made bread and some boiled ash-yam. Sitting there, warm and satisfied, I began to tell what happened to me last night. I watched the faces of the people around me- there was Tamara and four more of Ranya´s sisters, and their mother, all six with the beautiful red hair that obviously ran in the family, and another elderly woman who I didn't recognize.

I spent the day in the hatch, resting, recovering from the events of yesterday. In the evening we all assembled by the fireplace, drinking strong tasty comberry-wine that made me very drunk and very sleepy….

When I woke up the following morning I had very vague memories from last night; I must have fallen asleep sitting by the fire. Now I was lying on a bedroll with a somewhat dirty blanket wrapped around me. The smell of Hackle-lo-tea brought me to my senses. Liana, one of Ranya´s younger sisters, brought me a cup and sat down beside me, watching me sadly. She told me that there had been some soldiers sneaking around the settlement during the night. "They were looking for you, Serene," she said quietly and turned her face away from me. I nearly fainted when I heard this and cold sweat ran down my back and my mouth went completely dry. The thought of staying at the settlement for a couple of days, which was my original plan, was not an option anymore. I had to leave as soon as possible, so I gathered my things together, leaving the red bridal-robe behind as a thank-you for the hospitality shown to me.

Just as I was ready to exit the shack I heard terrible screaming from outside and with a crash the door was flung open and three bodies were cast inside. It was Tamara, her mother, and Kira, the youngest of the sisters. All three were badly injured, and covered with blood. I opened my mouth to ask what was going on when four imperial soldiers in heavy armour broke through the door, swords unsheathed. A distinct smell of cyrodiilic brandy filled the room and I instinctively dragged Liana to me and tried to shield her with my body

"So, there you are, Mistress Serene," one of the soldiers took a step in my direction, with his hand stretched out to grab me. "The filthy bastards thought they'd get a neat ransom for kidnapping you, huh, but no way, they're going to pay for this…..in blood!"

I then was grateful for my ability to sneak because as the drunken soldier was speaking I managed to get hold of the steel dagger that we used for cutting the bread last night.

"Stay away from me," I shouted, pointing the dagger at the soldier's belly. "Just leave me alone!"

The soldier hesitated for a moment, then turned to his companions, laughing, "See boys, there we go……going to have some fun with that one huh?"

I tried to keep my hand steady, but I was shaking vigorously, sweat running down my back as I slowly moved sideways, to see what had happened to my Dunmer friends.

The soldiers argued among themselves about what they were going to do next; apparently they had different opinions, and were terribly drunk….

I kneeled by the three wounded Dunmer women and saw that Tamara and her mother were not breathing anymore; their throats were cut from side to side. Kira, on the other hand, seemed not to have been injured until I saw the blood emerging from between her legs. She had been severely molested, and she was only 7 years old. In unthinking rage I threw myself on to the nearest soldier and buried the dagger deep in his neck. With a roar he slowly sank to the floor with me still clinging to his back.

Then sheer hell broke loose. I luckily lost consciousness- maybe that saved me from going totally insane. The next thing I remember was pain, the most terrible pain I ever encountered. I was lying in a carriage on a dirty blanket that smelled of unspeakable things. The carriage was tossing and turning and I turned my head aside and vomited. With every movement of the carriage, the pain made me wish I could die, or at least pass out. I could feel that some of my ribs were broken; every breath caused the ends to dig into my lungs, and a deep cut in my left arm made it useless; but worst of all, my body below the waist was on fire, abused and tormented…..I could imagine what they'd done to me. Just before I finally passed out again, I wondered what had happened to my Dunmer friends and why nobody tried to save us…. And then, I happened to see the face of one of my tormentors, and that filled me with sheer horror…..I couldn't believe it was him…

"Uncle Varus!" The words that came from my wounded lips were a bare whisper, but he looked at me with loathing and hatred from the back of his horse, and I knew I'd made a most powerful enemy.

The next time I opened my eyes I encountered darkness. I found myself lying on a bed-like thing on a filthy mattress. I didn't see anything at first but when my eyes got used to the weak light I noticed that I had to be in a cell. Damp stony walls, the worn bed I was lying on and the compulsory bucket in the corner. The smell was …well, interesting.

I tried carefully to move, first my head from side to side, then my arms. The left arm was still hurting me and the sleeve of my shirt was soaked with blood. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate all energy to the wound. By doing that I also got my mind off the dull pain in the lower part of my body. It was hard this time; I was totally worn out by the last hour's events. Then I felt the arm getting warm, and I noticed the bleeding had stopped. Now I just would need some marshmerrow and wick wheat to close the cut and heal it…..Very possible that would be in my current situation! In the meantime I unwrapped the belt from my waist- it was made of a broad piece of cloth so I could easily tear off a strip and tie it tight on my arm.

The broken ribs would heal easier, I just had to lie still and try to focus on the ribs as I slept; oh how grateful I was to Marthona who taught me of all these healing skills! She used to say that I had the "gift"…and also claimed that there must be a drop of Elfish blood in me somehow…..

Well I wouldn't know about that anyway, but thinking of my origin made the tears run again and I didn't want to cry anymore, wouldn't give the legionnaires the pleasure of seeing me broken.

Then the door was flung open and a young boy entered the cell with a tray in his hands.

"Some food for you mistress Serene" he said and looked away from me. Well I must look really awful then, if my guards didn't even dare to put eyes on me. The food was gruesome- some watery soup with something undefineable floating around in it, and a piece of bread, shaggy with green mould. My hunger, though, was greater than my distaste for the food, so I ate it all.

Why the boy had called me "Mistress"…..maybe my father had arrived; it should be common knowledge by now that I was imprisoned. Oh what a dishonour to him having an illegitimate daughter who also had committed murder…

I fell asleep…..concentrating on my broken ribs…

The next morning I felt a lot stronger. When trying to take a deep breath I didn't feel the broken ribs dig into my lungs anymore…..so my healing skills were functioning quite well! I did wish I had my alchemy- gear and my collection of herbs and plants with me…because I realised that I had to do something about the other bleeding. It had slowed, but not stopped and my trousers and the mattress were soaked with blood.

Breakfast was as delicious as last night, only this time it wasn't brought to me by a young shy legionnaire but by my Uncle Varus!

The time has come to tell you about my Uncle Varus. Rufus and Varus Vantinius were brought up in the Imperial City by their parents, Julianos and Antonia, to honourably serve the Emperor and the Imperial Legion. Both boys were ambitious and became skilled soldiers. But when it came to social matters, Rufus was the most successful, for he was attractive to women, strong, honest, intelligent, considerate and most of all he had the looks! He could converse with anyone about anything, he read books, took an interest in music, theatre, and all cultural events going on in the City. And so he found Larissa and got married, purchased a stately mansion and continued a full social life. His personal courage and good works made him highly respected in the Legion as well as among the citizens. He was even running for councillor's election this year.

Varus, on the other hand, was not at all intellectual, took no interests in any cultural events, and did not read books…he was an arrogant and highly skilled warrior, that's all. Women were attracted to him at first, for he was also rather handsome, but the relationships didn't ever last. Underneath the good looks lurked a cruel and jealous spirit. Therefore he envied his brother Rufus for having achieved a home, a wife and…..a child; me!

The rumours said that he used to beat the women when they didn't do exactly as he said, or if he was just in the mood for beating somebody.

I believed that rumour as I looked up in my Uncle's face when he came into my cell that chilly morning.

He stared at me with cold blue eyes and an expression of loathing on his face. Then he snapped his fingers and an elderly woman entered. My eyes widened…it was a Dunmer woman…why on earth would the Legion have Dunmer working for them?

"See to it that this…this person will be presentable for the trial this afternoon," he ordered the woman.

She nodded and approached me. Even if she was affected by the state I was in, she didn't show it at all. She had brought sload-soap, fresh water, and some fragrant herbs and plants. I've said before…a little hygiene does wonders for me. I was neatly washed, my wounds were treated with medical herbs, and, the best of all, my bleeding was arrested. She dressed me in a clean shirt and skirt and added a brown woollen robe that made me feel warm and fairly comfortable considering the situation. Through it all, Uncle Varus stared at me coldly and with hatred.

When I was finished he handed a bottle to the Dunmer woman and growled,

"Give her this to drink."

His voice was harsh and sounded evil. I hesitated at first; usually I don't drink potions I don't know the effects of, but this one smelled rather good and I was thirsty….

After swallowing the unknown potion I first experienced a warm nice feeling in my throat and the taste was also very nice…..but then! My tongue seemed to grow and stuck to my palate; I couldn't move it…and could not utter one word!

When I looked at the Dunmer I saw she was crying…so I now understood I was enchanted with a Silence spell, I wouldn't be able to defend or even speak for myself at the trial…..

What a terrible set-up! When I looked at Uncle Varus, I saw an evil grin on his face and I knew I was doomed……..

I was left alone in my cell again, sitting on the bench, just waiting….staring at the little window with iron-bars without really seeing. There was no doubt I was to be sentenced to death, that being the usual punishment for murder, and in my case it was even worse….I had ended the life of an officer in The Imperial Legion. My thoughts were with those Dunmeri women in the settlement who died for trying to help me out. My despair was endless, but I couldn't cry anymore, there were simply no more tears left.

"The events of the last days had been so stunning, so far outside my experience, that I was simply numb. Although I knew that a death sentence was almost certain, I could not even find the energy to be afraid. In three short days, I had lost my family, my freedom, and my innocence. I had killed a man- felt his warm blood on my hands. And I had been right to kill him, no matter what Imperial law said."

Then all of a sudden I felt the air tighten around me; there was a strange chill, obvious but not unpleasant. I heard a humming sound; it seemed the cell-walls were fading away; I was weightless free-floating in the void, when this soft female voice spoke.

"Serene, fear not, you are chosen. You shall be prepared for higher purposes, I shall watch over you.

The voice was merely a whisper in the air but the words infused strength and confidence in my heart. I closed my eyes and let the eerie atmosphere just sweep through me……

The door opened with a loud bang, and I once again faced my Uncle Varus, but this time I felt no fear. I gazed sternly right into his eyes, and he turned away. A faint feeling of triumph stiffened my spine. He couldn't look me in the eyes….

Uncle Varus was accompanied by two imperial guards who held on to my arms rather harshly as they escorted me to the court-room. I still was under that Silence-spell and could not protest. I once more closed my eyes as we were heading down the narrow corridor, and then a name came into my mind….."Azura", the Dunmeri goddess of dusk and dawn, Azura….

The court room was filled with officers in The Legion, and a jury consisting of twelve honourable citizens sat along the left side of the room. Their faces were stern and merciless, and my heart sank; I could not possibly go free, not even with protection from some obscure Dunmeri goddess.

As I looked around I caught sight of my father, Rufus, sitting in the audience, his face totally emptied of all feelings. I cried inside for him; he had lost his only child twice, first when I ran away from home the day of my sixteenth birthday and then once more when I took the imperial officer's life in the Dunmer settlement the day before yesterday.

The trial began. I did not hear much, for my mind was occupied trying to recapitulate as much as I could from those sixteen years I'd been on this earth. I noticed that there were two parchment rolls lying on the desk in front of the Judge, one with a white ribbon tied around it and one with a black. A thin trickle of sweat ran down my back as I understood that there could only be two ways, life or death, white and black. The jury went out for some last deliberation. After a short break the court assembled again and the jury's representative read the verdict;

"GUILTY of murder of Crassius Varro, officer in The Imperial Legion …..

The world went black… I must have passed out for a minute or two, and then I abruptly was awake, because suddenly there was a riot in the court room, a Legionnaire in full Imperial Templar Armour rushed toward the Judge. He had a parchment roll in his hand…..a roll with a red ribbon tied around it. The Legionnaire was speaking rapidly in low tones to the Judge, and I overheard some occasional words….."jail"……."The Emperor"……"his orders".

After delivering the roll, the Legionnaire stepped aside and the Judge untied the red ribbon.

"Serene Vantinius, you have been declared GUILTY of murder of Crassius Varro, officer in the Legion of The Imperial City. You will be deprived of your last name; Vantinius, because you do not belong to that family anymore…."

At that moment I looked right into my father's eyes, but he turned away and my soul died a little bit………

"Also you are to be put in the City jail, for no less than twenty, and no more than fifty years. Court dismissed"

There was silence in the court room as the sentence was passed. Then I felt my tongue was loosened and I cried in despair;

"Father! Don't abandon me!"

But Rufus Vantinius turned his back on me and went out of the Imperial court room together with his brother Varus.

I was taken back to my cell to gather my few belongings, because now I was to be put in the Women´s Ward of the Imperial Prison of Cyrodiil.

I did not get a cell of my own- there were three more women sitting on their beds as I arrived. The cell looked much like the former one except somewhat bigger. The beds were stacked two by two, and I got the upper one on the left side of the cell. My three room-mates looked first at each other, then at me;

"Nah, what's ya here for?" One of them addressed me.

She was of Nordic heritage, tall, broad-shouldered, with long braids of golden hair. Her eyes were dark-blue, peering but nevertheless friendly. I told her briefly what happened to me, just omitted the most disgusting details. She told me her name was Sonya and she was born and raised in Skyrim, in a place named Falcreath. She was sentenced for slaying her father….in self-defence that was, because he had done unmentionable things to her. I shrugged; the conversation reminded me far too much of the events I'd been through.

The two other women did not say much, just told their names, Leila, a thin fragile red-haired Breton-girl of 15 years; and Almina, a stout, lethargic Cyrodiilic woman of 40. Leila, I soon found out, was sentenced to death by incineration, for witchcraft and was just waiting for the sentence to be carried out. Her deed was that she supposedly had put Black-Heart's Disease on a Temple-servant. I did not believe for one moment that she really had committed that crime. Diseases, at least the common ones, according to my thorough studies in The Lyceum undoubtedly were acquired through contagion from germs originated from animals or dead bodies. I was very sad to hear her story and I hoped that I could find a way of saving her. Almina, on the other hand, was sentenced to do time for theft. She had stolen an exquisite robe from a trade house in The City.

After I'd heard the stories from my room-mates I lay down on my bed, and let my thoughts wander …..

I was floating again...in that strange void, everything was dense, the chill surrounded me, and there it was! The voice which this time was familiar to me; I welcomed it, though I felt a strange sense of anxiety.

"Serene of Cyrodiil, you shall not fear, for I will be watching you. Study, increase your skills. You are the hope of an entire nation. You will be the saviour of many……."

I opened my eyes, and sat up in my bed, still shivering from that strange dream. It _was_ a dream…or was it? Sweat was running down my back and I was simply terrified despite the voice telling me not to be.

"´ad a nightmare lassie?" Sonya didn´t even look at me, she just turned around and fell asleep again. The other two neither moved nor uttered one word.

I sat with my arms around my knees and tried to figure out why Azura kept coming to me in my dreams. She wasn´t even one of my gods. Back home Ranya often told me about the Dunmeri gods and what they stood for. Azura was the goddess of dusk and dawn. What did she want from me? I felt dizzy all of a sudden and lay down again. The thought of being some saviour did not appeal to me; all I wanted now was to do my time in prison, maybe be released a little bit earlier because of good behaviour. ……..

During the next two weeks I had the opportunity so to say, to experience what an imperial prison was like. The women´s ward was situated in the ground story of the building. Therefore the barred windows were high up on the walls, just below the roof. They were rather small and did not let much of the outside light in. Walls of raw granite made the cell damp and there was a distinct smell of dirt and mold. As it was the ground level the cold oozed right up through the stone floor, making us spend most of our time in the cell on our so- called beds. They were simple pallets made of some kind of wood and, as I said before, standing on top of each other two by two. On each bed was a lumpy mattress, apparently filled with mouldy straw, which smelled awful. With that we had one blanket each, a thin, worn blanket which did not help very much at night against the raw chill.

In one of the corners there was a bucket, to serve as a toilet. I did not visit it until the end of my second day in prison; I resented the stench very badly but at the end I didn´t have any choice anymore, I had to use it!

Each morning a guard came in with a second bucket with almost clean water, cold of course, and a piece of hard greyish soap; we had to share that between us, so we took turns in who was to be the first in line to wash herself. Towels were non-existent; we used our blankets. My strong sense of hygiene made me suffer severely the first week from this inability to keep myself clean, but after that I gave up and in fact didn´t even notice the thick odour of human grime that was consistent throughout the cell.

Sonya, Leila and myself tried as well as we could to wash ourselves and keep the cell tidy; it gave us something to do and kept our thoughts busy. I admired Leilas calm, and the fact that she was nice, friendly and even laughed rather often…..despite her death warrant she was in good mood. I was nearly constantly thinking of how she could be saved- it struck me as a crying shame that a lovely girl like Leila should be deprived of her life, for a crime she undoubtedly did NOT commit.

The food was not as bad as one could imagine, drab , but we got rather big portions. For breakfast there were kwama-eggs, beaten and fried, with some peculiar grey stew with chunks of meat in it. I didn´t ask what kind of meat it was because I thought I would prefer not knowing. At noon we got fairly the same, sometimes there was some bread to go with it, or boiled saltrice. In the evening we just got bread and cheese , in fact that was the best meal.. The overall drink was water……on Sundays we could get some comberry-juice, that was if Margoth was the warder…..Margoth was a bosmer, and had worked at the prison for ages. She was afraid of no one, and had the compassion to sometimes cheer up the miserable lives of the imprisoned women.

I got on very well with my room-mates. I told Sonya of my nordic grandmother and we found out that the families were somewhat related. But then again it was no wonder, Falcreath isn´t that big. I repressed the fact that I was not the real granddaughter of a nordic lady named Reidun of Falcreath……

As I´ve said Leila was a nice cheerful girl and very easy to be with. She ate very little and often treated us with leftovers from her plate. Sonya helped herself to it and so did Almina, but me, I just couldn´t …..my grief for the fate of Leila made me physically sick.

Almina puzzled me even then at this early stage, and considering what happened in a few days , I still can´t explain why she did what she did and why she did it at that particular moment. She hardly ever spoke with us, just sat there on her bed, glaring out into the air with a stubborn grumpy look in her broad face. Hygiene didn´t bother her at all, she never asked to be the first to wash herself. In fact I don´t remember her washing at all…

It´s strange how you get used to certain routines and find them quite endurable at a time like that. We never spoke about our final punishment, never mentioned the fact that at least two of us were supposed to be executed in a couple of weeks or months; the time-schedule of executions was not for us to know about.

On the night between Middas and Turdas the second week of my stay in the Imperial Prison I had my next encounter with my dream-God Azura…..

This time I was surrounded with a red mist, swirling around me, covering me in a strange chill, yet not unpleasant. Azura´s voice came through the mist, loud and clear this time;

"Serene, Serene of Cyrodiil, be prepared! Have no fear, I will be with you……You will hold in your hands the fate of an innocent, have confidence ……all will be revealed in time."

Then Azura disappeared and I woke up, drenched in sweat and badly shivering. I swept the dirty blanket tight around me and just sat on my bed for a while, thinking I was slowly going insane. None of my room mates were awake so I finally lay down again and soon fell into a dreamless sleep.

The next day the memory of my strange dream was almost gone and we continued our tedious time in prison. On Loredas evening we got some overcooked crab-meat for supper together with a bottle of comberry-wine, served by Margoth, naturally….At the time, I did not understand that this "special" meal was an ill omen- a sign of death to come, although not the death that was intended…

We ate our meal in silence. Almina helped herself to the crab-meat , but even more energetically to the wine…..I found this a bit odd, not the fact that the imperial woman ate and drank heavily, that was common knowledge, but the fact we got wine, now that was odd! We never had that before at all.

I just tasted the wine, and did not eat very much either; I had this uneasy feeling that something was very wrong, the little food I had just lay like a lump in my stomach and I struggled to hold back the urge to vomit. So the guard came back for our dirty dishes…..When he turned his back on us to exit the cell I felt a paralyzing fear, and at the same moment Almina rushed towards him and hit the back of his head with a bottle……the bottle we had just emptied a while ago. At the blow the bottle broke, and its knife-sharp ends dug deeply in the soft flesh of the young imperial guard, who slowly sank to the floor, severely bleeding from the deep cut. Almina ran incredibly fast down the corridor outside our cell, while Leila let out a terrifying scream that would certainly be a call-out for every guard within the prison. A quick glimpse of a faint movement from the wounded man caught my eye and then I took action; I slapped Leila's face to get her out of the catatonic state she was in and then grabbed both her hands and put them directly on the gaping wound of the guard.

"Hold tight", I hissed and held my hands over hers while I concentrated on the bleeding wound. Leila was immediately quiet and just stared at me with horror all written on her face, yet still she kept her hands, guided by mine, holding tight to the back of the guard's head. His blood flowed freely over our hands; but soon enough I sensed it diminish. I closed my eyes and concentrated to merge my healing energy through Leila's hands into the deep cut. My entire body shivered, drenched in cold sweat. From far away I heard the footsteps from several guards approaching….Then I finally was aware of the wound slowly closing, the heavy blood-flow stopping. Leila opened her mouth as to say something, and I cautioned her,

"Shhhh, hold tight and concentrate on the wound."

I removed my hands from Leila's and fell trembling to the side, panting heavily as tears started running down my face. During my training, Marthona had told me that there was a price to be paid for a major healing; for the first time, I understood what she had meant. I was more exhausted than I had ever been in my life.

"WASS´UP" three guards, fully armoured, stood in the doorway, staring angrily at the strange scene in front of them; one imperial guard lying on his belly, a young Breton girl whose blood-stained hands held his head where the deep cut was slowly closing itself up, and one imperial girl sitting against the wall, crying. Leila's face was remote, totally emptied of feelings, just calm and silent. I watched her through a mist of tears and knew that I most certainly had triggered the healing-powers that dwelled deep inside her.

"She saved this man's life," I sobbed, "he was dying!" I cried fiercely now, the last minutes had been too much for me, I had simply "crossed the border."

"Aye, look´ere Curio, e´s cumin´te his senses." One of the guards bowed over the wounded one, who moved his head from one side to the other.

I just leaned against the wall and watched from a distance as the three guards helped their comrade to his feet. His uniform and armour were blood-stained but there was no cut in the back of his head any more; it was healed. The guards looked warily at Leila and me, and Sonya, who had been stunned with fear during this breakout, now cleared her throat and addressed the guards;

"Nah, see, yer mate would´ave been a stiffie if the lassie ´ere ´adn´t put them ´ands on´is ´ead." It was obvious Sonya had grasped the situation …..

The guard named Curio turned to Leila and asked for her name and her sentence.

"Aye, Breton, you apparently saved young Telemachos´ life, and that shall not be unnoticed."

With these words the prison-guards left our cell.

When we were alone Leila burst into tears, and I put my arms around her and we sat like that for a while. Sonya stared at me as if I was some kind of Cyrodiilic witch…

"Ye shud ´ave seen yerself, Serene," she said, and shook her head, "them luk in yer eyes….creepy t´was….creepy, all tremblin´an´shakin´….sweatin´all over…….Wha´ are ye reely?"

I looked back at her and explained about my newly discovered healing-powers. Then we overheard some shouting and yelling from the corridor…..

"Almina!" I had completely forgotten about her, whose actions directly triggered this chain of events. A premonition came to me, telling that Almina´s life was over, then a terrible scream…… abruptly cut off…..and it was over.

We did not sleep very well that night, as Leila experienced the healing over and over again in her dreams, and so yelled and cried in her sleep. Sonya merely sat on her bed trying to figure out if I was a witch or just an ordinary lunatic or perhaps a mage.

As for myself, I had another date with Azura……

"Serene! Justice has been shaped,…..A life for a life…..Your path has been established, do not fear, for I shall be watching you. A release will come..."

And a release came, though not mine, for in the afternoon two guards came to us and told us about the death of Almina; it was young Telemachos and Curio, and they addressed us with great courtesy, which did not surprise me- men tend to respect women with exceptional powers. Especially when one of those women has saved a life.

"Killed during attempted escape," they said.

"Leila of Jehanna; you shall follow me; General Vantinius wishes to see you." Curio's words tore my soul to pieces, and I crouched in the corner of my bed, buried my face in the pillows and let the tears come. I would never get over the loss of my family; just hearing them being mentioned caused me to break down completely.

Leila leaned over me and kissed my wet cheeks, " I owe you my life, Serene. If I ever can do anything to repay you, let me know!"

Then she was gone…….I didn't think I would ever meet her again, but oddly enough I did……but that's another story.

Telemachos was one kind of a guard….he was kind and compassionate, as I found out on that gruesome Sondas afternoon in The Imperial Prison.

"Serene, there now, drink this and you will feel a lot better."

I turned around and found a mug filled with hot comberry wine handed to me. Telemachos' brown eyes looked at me almost tenderly. He handed me a piece of cloth to wipe my nose and dry my face with. As I took the cloth from his hand I noticed he had a badly treated wound on his thumb; it was watery and green pus oozed out from it. The bandage was dirty and did not even cover the wound properly. I asked him how he got it and he said it was a horse-bite.

Obviously Telemachos would run the risk of losing his thumb due to acute infection if the wound was not treated and quickly.

I took his hand and gently removed the bandage; the smell that now emanated from the poor man's hand made Sonya rush to the bucket and get rid of her lunch.

First I did not even feel it, but after examining Telemachos thumb with my fingers I noticed a rise in temperature in my hands, a tickling sensation in my fingertips…..The pus dried into small flakes and the red inflamed flesh took a healthier pinkish colour, as I held his hand.

I looked straight into his eyes and then saw there, that he now knew who really had saved his life the day before….

Telemachos never revealed that it was I who saved his life and not Leila; that I do give him credit for. He seemed somewhat fond of me and tried to make my life in prison a little more endurable than it would have been otherwise.

All in all I spent 7 years in the Imperial Prison, but when I look back I don´t regard that time as completely wasted. Due to my proven healing-skills I was allowed more freedom than most of the other prisoners; I was allowed in the apothecary to mix ingredients of different kinds for potions that were commonly used in prison; also I was allowed to go out to collect the necessary plants and herbs, naturally under close supervision, but still I was able to get out in the fresh air now and then, which I really appreciated. But the fact remained……I was not free, and that made me think about what freedom really means and why it´s considered a punishment not to be free. For me it was the issue of very strict routines, and no personal space, always having to live with another person present, no opportunity of splendid solitude, to read a book or just sit down and daydream; having to be awakened every morning at the same time and eat breakfast together with a lot of more or less strangers with different eating-habits, that disturbed me most.

Sharing quarters can be very annoying, especially when you are not used to it. The sounds at night in a prison-cell with three or four women are sometimes unbearable……That I think was my real punishment, together with the obvious fact that I was not free.

I shall try to describe what a day in prison is like:

06.00AM Reveille, that is a guard walking down the corridor while he very loudly bangs at every cell-door shouting,

" Wake up there ya´ (_here he uses a word that is inappropriate_), it´s mornin´ ….."

So we crawl out of our beds, fighting to be the first in line at the washing-bucket, if there is any water left from the day before, and if that water still is usable….

Then breakfast, normally some tasteless mire, as I´ve already told you about, but sometimes we get some kwama-eggs or a piece of bread. There´s no talking allowed during breakfast, "let the food silence your mouth," as my grandmother used to say. Right after breakfast we tend to our daily tasks. No breaks, except for lunch, we just keep working; but that is also a good thing, keeps the mind busy. After supper they put the lights out and we are supposed to go to sleep.

So the days passed year after year….

Telemachos often volunteered to supervise my plant-collection-odysseys; maybe because he just wanted the opportunity to get out of the dull grey prison …or maybe because he had grown fond of me personally. When we were on these expeditions, he trained me in the use of different weapons, such as long- and short-bladed swords. The reason he showed this confidence in letting me use a weapon was our secret, but naturally he knew about what had happened to me and why I was sentenced to prison. He also knew my Uncle Varus, who was now his commanding officer, but who also had some tryst with his elder sister. He never told me much about this but I got the sense it was not at all pleasant

He used to tell me that I might need to be able to defend myself when I get out of prison, so he arranged a dummy consisting of a "doll" made from empty sacks, on which I was supposed to practise my blows and thrusts.

I was a good student; I quickly learned how to use the blades, and oddly enough I was better with the long-blade, which is not common among women. I was not as strong as a man but I was tall and because of my rather long arms I had a considerable reach and so I could easily keep the enemy at a distance when fighting. We had practice "fights" Telemachos and I, and after a couple of months intensive training I finally succeeded in beating him in one of those fights.

It was a warm sunny afternoon, in the middle of Sun´s Height; I had finished with the day´s collecting of marshmerrow and trama roots, and Telemachos suggested we should try a "fight." He´d brought two beautiful steel katanas with him and wanted to see how my skills had improved.

At first I didn´t do very well; Telemachos successfully avoided my attacks …..but as the fight went on, my greater reach proved itself an advantage, and I slowly forced him backwards until he hit an upright boulder…..then I found myself pointing the knife-sharp edge of my sword at his throat. Telemachos stood absolutely still, looking right into my eyes, knowing that one single movement could send him straight on to his ancestors. I was panting heavily, drenched in sweat, totally aware of the sudden opportunity to escape that had presented itself.

I put down my sword with a sigh, the tension of the moment vanished and I smiled at Telemachos and asked him to recognize my victory. Some things are just impossible; I couldn´t kill Telemachos. I was not a murderess, although I did take a man´s life once, and was therefore sent to prison in the first place. But I would never believe that it had been murder- I was protecting myself and others and would do so again, if necessary. But this time it would have been cold-blooded murder, and that was something I was not capable of.

After some 5 years in prison, my healing-skills came to be of use again, when an epidemic of swamp-fever broke out in the men´s ward. In two weeks, fifteen of the prisoners were infected and the guards were terrified that it would spread throughout the prison. I worked the whole time in the apothecary with the ordinary physician, preparing healing-potions. The terrible thing was that if the potion was not distributed within the first two days after the outbreak of the disease, it had no effect at all. So when I came upon the first prisoner who was too far gone with infection I thought I´d try something else.

The disease affected the lungs mainly; they filled with fluid and the patient was slowly suffocated. The cause was a kind of germ that developed in the swamps of Cyrodiil, and sometimes, when the conditions were right, became very aggressive and so attacked humans.

I put my hands on the chest of the patient, who was in a very poor shape, delirious and with a bad cough. I closed my eyes and concentrated…..Almost immediately I felt the heat in my hands as the energy built; the unpleasant bubbling in the man´s lungs slowly diminished, as did the feverish heat that emanated from his whole body. I shivered, sweat running down my back, as his fever seemed to go right through me. I had to let go……and so I did, falling to the side, panting with exhaustion. But I knew I´d succeeded; the man would survive.

Then the real struggle began, as we, the physician and I, tried to cure as many as possible with potions. In the end, there were a couple of men that I had to heal "my way."

After these events I was regarded as "official" healer and did get some more benefits, such as being allowed to visit the prison-library, a privilege that pleased me greatly. I always loved books and being able to spend quite some time in a library, regardless of its size and content, was a pleasure. I read all books in that library……literally, and thus increased my skills in strategic planning, alchemy, how to repair weapons and different war-strategies.

Sonya had been transferred to a labour-camp some months before; apparently her mother had untied her tongue and reported her husband to the authorities for abuse and there was evidence that Sonya had acted in pure self-defence and so her death-sentence was withdrawn. That pleased me because I had been rather fond of that harsh Nordic girl.

In the end of my seventh year in prison I had an encounter with Azura again, something I had not had since the day I saved Telemachos' life through Leila. But this time it was different; this time she came to my dreams in person, not only as a voice……

I saw a tall, slender woman dressed in bluish white, a face hard and yet delicate, eyes burning, standing beside my bed in an aura of coldness, her smooth voice speaking words of wisdom, words of fate:

"Serene of Cyrodiil, you have passed the first trial that was laid upon you; there will be a change of scenery, for good and for ill. You will encounter further trials, and you will be the hope of an entire population. You will be a saviour, but fear not; I shall guide you."

Shivering, I drew the blanket tighter around me and fell asleep again. I was abruptly awakened by a hand shaking my shoulder rather harshly.

"Wake up, and be quiet. Hurry up, lass, it´s time to leave."

The hoarse whisper went through my sleepy mind and I was dragged off my bed, a hooded cloak was cast over me and I was taken outside into the dark quiet street. I saw a wooden carriage in front of the prison-gates and started to ask what this was all about.

"Shhhh, girl, don´t speak, just come along, we have a long way to go."

I was pushed into the dark carriage and off we went, through the empty streets until the smell of fish and salt caught my nose and I realized we must be at the harbour. The carriage stopped and I was taken out. Two figures, totally covered in black cloaks, grabbed me by the arms and led me on to the pier, where a low ship was lying alongside. I was hustled up on the gang-plank and onto the ship. It was all dark and I heard my escort whisper some orders. Another cloaked figure appeared from the hold and turned towards me. He looked at me, muttered something I couldn´t understand, and I fell into darkness…..

_**Here ends chapter 1 **_


	2. Chapter 2, part 1

_Freedom is what you do with what's been done to you.__Jean-Paul Sartre_

**Chapter 2, A New Start**

_Part 1_

I am an incurable landlubber; boats are not my cup ´o tea, not in the least! I remember once when I was a child back home in Cyrodiil and my father and I went out on the quite calm Nibenay River in a small wooden boat just to take a pleasure trip……I was hanging over the side trying to get rid of whatever I had eaten the last couple of hours…the whole time.

I awoke with a terrible nausea, and honestly thought I was dying. The squeaking of wood against wood and the salty smell showed me I was on a ship somewhere at sea. I didn't dare to move lest I have to empty an already empty stomach. The boat was tossing and turning and the sound of the heavy storm reached my ears as I tried to fall asleep again. A soothing hand was stroking my forehead, and I felt the bitter, yet refreshing taste of Hackle-Lo-tea on my lips.

"There now, lassie, drink this and you'll soon feel better."

A hoarse voice caused me to open my eyes and I caught a glimpse of the dark face of a man kneeling beside me. I drank the bitter fluid and my stomach slowly calmed down. When I opened my eyes I looked right into the red eyes of a young Dunmer with a gruesome scar across his left cheek. He wiped the cold sweat from my face and gave me a friendly smile.

" Nah, feelin´better now? "

I nodded and he continued;

"Try to get some more sleep, we are far from our destination and the weather is getting even worse, so the best is if you sleep it through."

I closed my eyes and drifted away, the last thought that came into my mind was a slight wonder what he had put in my tea………

It is sometimes hard to decide what is dream and what is reality. I was walking in a strange ash-covered landscape, no grass and the trees seemed all dead, no sign whatsoever of life. There was an eerie humming sound as the air thickened and went reddish. Then the humming sound grew stronger and the wind started to blow the ash from the ground. I tried to cover my mouth from the whirling red ashes and trudged forward, forward……Then Azura´s voice came to me as so many times before.

"Serene, Serene of Cyrodiil, they have taken you from the Imperial City's Prison, first by carriage and now by boat, to the east, to Morrowind. You have been chosen, you are the first, and others will follow. Fear not, I will guide you…."

The landscape changed to a dark stormy night, rain pouring down; lightning crossed the sky in an outrageous tempest. I was running in the rain trying to escape from something yet unknown, when the world started to fall apart…..

A hand was shaking my shoulder; I tried to avoid it by turning aside but the shaking was persistent and I had to open my eyes. The Dunmer with the scar was bending over me with a friendly grin in his face.

"Hey wake up lassie, how are you? Here take my hand, you are shaking, did you have a bad dream?"

He took my hand and helped me to my feet; I was all shivery and felt nauseous with a terrible headache. The ship was slowly turning and I swallowed frantically to alleviate my obvious sea-sickness.

"Now there, take my hand, I'm Jiub, by the way, here, drink this."

He held a pitcher to my lips and I downed the bitter liquid…..

"Thank you", I said in a hoarse voice, "I'm Serene from Cyrodiil. What´s the matter, why are we not moving?"

Jiub told me we'd reached Morrowind, as he'd overheard from the guards. Morrowind….I closed my eyes for a second and remembered the words from the dream "……"to the east, to Morrowind"….

The sound of heavy footsteps approaching made the young Dunmer put his finger across his lips;

"Shhh, guard's coming, better be quiet."

The guard was a stout, heavy built Cyrodiil with sharp blue eyes. He looked emotionlessly at me and told me to follow him. I didn't argue with him; there was no point in doing that from the look in his face. Besides, I wanted to feel solid ground under my feet again; the rolling of the ship didn't agree at all with my stomach. I stumbled after him up on deck.

Bright daylight struck my face when I stepped out, and so did the smell of rotting fish, salt and the smoke from cooking-fires when using damp wood. My stomach turned and I swallowed…..As I looked around I saw a few buildings scattered along the shoreline, a lighthouse and a strange creature resembling a giant insect. I shrugged and approached the dark-skinned man standing on deck. He gave me a faint smile as he unlocked the bracers I had worn since I left the Imperial Prison and then pointed me down the gang plank.

"This way, m´am," he said, "there will be an escort for ya."

In full Imperial armour he came marching towards me, my escort for the day, sternly peering at me as he asked for my name. I gave him the requested information and was ordered to follow him up to the Excise and Census-office to complete my release. So apparently I was to be a free woman at last, after 7 years in custody. That was a strange, yet not unpleasant feeling.

An elderly man with a white beard greeted me as I entered the office. I felt uncomfortable; dirty and smelling from the mouldy ship where I'd been for such a long time, with no possibility to wash myself. My worn shirt was soaked with sweat and my hair was in terrible shape, being neither washed nor combed for more than 2 months. I looked into the eyes of the old man and remembered my grandfather back in Cyrodiil……Grandfather? Do I even have a grandfather anymore? The memories made my eyes fill with tears and I turned away, taking a deep breath in order to compose myself.

"Ah! We've been expecting you!" The man presented himself as Socucius Ergalla and gave me a welcoming smile. Then he asked me quite a lot of intricate questions, who I was, who my parents were and about my skills and abilities. When I told him I was a foundling he looked at me very sternly and nodded.

"Ah, the letter that preceded you states you are a very skilled healer, now might that be a fact?"

Ergalla´s soft voice made me jerk, "Letter?" I sensed some kind of set-up, someone knew I was coming here, and that someone also had gathered information about me…..

I admitted I was fairly skilled in the noble art of healing, and I also had to tell about my other virtues, such as that I consider myself to be intelligent; I knew quite a lot about alchemy; and I'd learned a lot about how to manage a long blade, thanks to Telemachos; I can repair my weapons as well, when needed…

The final question was about my birth-sign; what relevance that had I don't know but the man was satisfied when I told him I was born under The Ritual. I was also told to pay a visit to the captain in the adjacent building in order to get my orders and a release-fee. Being given orders didn´t appeal to me, but the word "release-fee" was another thing, I could certainly need something to get me started in this godforsaken place.

Then my papers were properly signed and stamped and I stepped out of the office as a free woman.


	3. Chapter 2 part 2

I closed the sturdy door behind me and took a deep breath; so this was how it was supposed to feel, being free; or almost free, I still had to take care of the business with that captain.

I found myself in a short corridor, lit by wooden chandeliers hanging from the roof. . On my right side I discovered a room, a dining room all set up for dinner. A distinct murmur from my stomach revealed that it was very long time since I last have had something to eat. So I scanned the room and found a basket filled with freshly made bread on a bench. Ah yes, it was delicious….and so was the crabmeat on a plate, which I also consumed as I pondered the possibilities.

I must state, I´m not a thief, but in my current situation I had very little choice; if I was to survive in this place I might be forced to do things I normally wouldn´t dream of, such as eating a man´s dinner in his absence. The bottle on the table contained flin, not my favourite drink but as I said…… not much choice other than downing the potion.

Someone had stuck an irondagger right into the surface of the table…not a very nice thing to do, but I grabbed it anyway; a dagger is not my favourite weapon, but it´s better than nothing.

My further investigation of the room revealed two baskets standing beside a large shelf to the left. The contents of those baskets were a fair selection of herbs and plants, which I decided to take custody of. I didn´t want them to end up in the wrong hands….It was quite obvious that I wouldn´t be able to carry with me all items that I might decide I would have use for, because there was a lot of silverware and a nice lockpick on the table, which I realized could come in handy later on . I tried the lockpick on a small chest standing on the shelf, and I was very happy to discover 31 drakes inside it. I pocketed those and went further down the corridor in order to investigate if I´d find something to carry things in.

In a small room in the basement I found some sacks , some with contents, some without. I took one of them and headed upstairs again, filled it with the silver cutlery from the table in the dining room, the ingredients from the baskets and also 2 bottles of Mazte which I found on a shelf.

I went out again and ended up in a narrow backyard facing another building with a worn green door. I realized I couldn´t possibly step inside the captain´s office carrying a sack full of stolen goods, so I decided to hide it somewhere……and when I discovered a rain-water-barrel outside the office it seemed most promising. When I shoved the sack into the barrel I caught sight of something that glittered; it turned out to be a golden ring with a rather vulgar green stone attached to it. I reckoned I´d get a drake or two for it selling it to some local trader so I put the ring in my pocket, and opened the door to the office…

So I faced the mighty Captain of the Imperial Legion- Sellus Gravius!

My heart jumped as I encountered a stout Cyrodiilic man in imperial templar armour, sitting at his desk busily writing in a ledger as it seemed. How he resembled my father! Tears burned behind my eyelids and I swallowed to get rid of that lump in my throat, as I addressed him;

" Good afternoon captain, my na…" I was brusquely interrupted by Captain Gravius;

" Give me your papers, girl, I found out about your arrival only yesterday, but anyway you are welcome to Morrowind. I´m Sellus Gravius by the way. He took my release-papers and studied them thoroughly.

" Ok so I don´t know why you´re here, or why you were released from prison, but the letter was clear, authorized by the Emperor, Uriel Septim VII, and that´s all I need to know.

"So when you leave this office you are a free woman", he continued, "but before you leave I have some duties for you…."

I looked at the man, I was not at all interested in performing anything for him, the very looks of him made bad memories come to my mind….

He handed me a package of parchment-rolls, saying;

" This was submitted with the letter that preceded you; you are to deliver it to a man called Caius Cosades in Balmora. Serve him truthfully as you would serve the Emperor. I also have a letter for you to deliver."

Then he gave me 87 drakes, my release-fee, and for the first time since I got off the boat I could show a smile.

And so I stepped out of the office and into the fresh air, carefully remembering to bring the sack with my custodial items. The evening was already long gone and the sky had darkened considerably. The clouds in the sky predicted the possibility of some rain during the night.

I shrugged and put down the sleeves of my shirt, it was already getting quite chilly and as I didn´t fancy staying outdoors the whole night, I decided to try and get some night-quarters.

The little town was well guarded; I spotted quite a few imperial guards patrolling the small square outside the Census and Excise office. Now I didn´t want to address them with my inquiry about accommodations; in fact I wouldn´t draw their attention to me at all, not with the goods I carried with me. Then I heard some screaming and shouting, and to my surprise three of those guards were harassing a short man in a yellow shirt. I went to have a closer look and saw the little man fall down on the ground, the guards kicking him and insulting him terribly. The victim was bosmer, I could tell from the look of his angry, distorted face and sharply pointed ears. Now I have nothing against bosmers; I still remember Margoth, our warder at the prison, and I certainly do NOT like when someone is tormented by a bunch. Besides the guards were supposed to GUARD, not to slay the citizens. I dropped my sack and addressed one of the guards;

" You should be ashamed of yourselves, three against one, it´s really cowardice" I actually shouted at the guard so they stopped kicking the poor bosmer and stared at me with anger.

"Nah ye shan´t interfere ´ere lassie, nona yer bisnes……go ´ome an make supper ´ta yer ´man an let us finish this off ´ere….or else…"

" What?", I said, trembling with anger and fear; the guard was a huge man with really big hands and I could very well imagine what those hands could do with me.

"You really are a big hero, slaying a man smaller than yourself and threatening a woman...A really big hero, the Emperor must be proud of you all."

I saw I had gone too far; the look in his eyes was frightening, as he let go of the bosmer and slowly stepped towards me…….


	4. Chapter 2 part 3

I backed away a few steps as the guard came nearer, then I decided not to withdraw anymore. I was right; he was not and I felt that the only way to survive in this somewhat hostile country was to stand up against evil even if that would cost me my life. I had seen and encountered my share of gruesome events and evil; therefore I was not afraid of anything anymore, on the contrary I felt utterly strong and invulnerable as I sternly gazed right into the eyes of this slightly fat imperial officer. He couldn´t look me in the eyes for very long; he started looking lecherously at my body instead, which caused me to break into a cold sweat and made me even more determined to stand up to him. Suddenly he flung himself against me with a roar and grabbed my shirt, tearing it at the front. I gave ground, letting myself fall backwards and thus getting him out of balance, so when he fell over me I managed to put my knee very hard right between his legs, and hit the right spot. As the imperial guard bellowed in agony, quite a few citizens gathered to see what this was all about.

Then things started to happen very fast. First an elderly altmer lady put a cloak over my shoulders, to cover me, since my shirt was totally torn apart. Then a tall man in a really exquisite outfit combined with a strangely shaped hat, stepped forward and raised his rather nasal voice;

" Now then officers, what is this fuss about? It´s past sunset, and we do not want any uproar at this time of the day."

The overall reaction was peculiar; it seemed that everyone either was afraid of this well-dressed gentleman or they hated him for some reason, because the crowd quickly dispersed as did the imperial guards. Left behind were the poor bosmer, the strange gentleman and myself.

The gentleman looked at me, saw that I apparently was not hurt, then lifted his headgear, bowed at me and headed towards the Census and Excise office.

The bosmer then quickly rose to his feet, glanced at me and spat in the direction the well-dressed man had disappeared. I stretched out my hand to him and asked him gently if he was alright.

" I guess I owe you one," he answered with a whining voice, as he brushed the dust from his trousers, "Them guards are picking at me all the time, it´s their kind of fun, always picking at Fargoth." The little bosmer was building up a rage whilst talking to me; he started stamping his feet and waving his arms. I could hardly resist smiling; his behaviour looked somewhat ridiculous.

"Ah," he then hesitated, " You´re the one who got off the boat earlier?" He virtually undressed me with his looks, "Heard them talk about someone important coming, can´t be you though; you´re a girl."

I frowned at those words; I certainly don't regard myself as some royal highness but nevertheless I resented his assumption that I could not be important just for being a woman, and then I didn´t fancy the way he looked at me. I drew the cloak tighter around me, partly because of the chilly wind and partly because of the peering eyes of the little annoying bosmer.

"Nah," he continued, "I don´t suppose you´ve seen my ring somewhere around?" It´s a family heirloom and I really cherish it, so the guards are always stealing it from me just to annoy me, filthy bastards them guards are." he started to jump up and down again, continuously staring at me, and not at my face…..

I understood that the ring with the green stone that I found in the rainwater-barrel was his "family heirloom," and since I now was pretty eager to get rid of this little Mer I took it out of my pocket saying;

" Could it be this one, maybe?" and then handed the ring to him

When I saw the sheer joy in his face I forgot about his annoying manners; I do like to give pleasure to people…

Then he started to tell me about his very good friend Arille at the local tradehouse. Now that was some useful information since I urgently needed some supplies, due to the harsh encounter with the local guards. Fargoth said he would put a word for me with Arille…..

I bid the bosmer good evening and walked away. The lady who had given me the cloak to cover me up was outside her house trying to close the shutters for the night; they seemed to be a bit stuck, probably due to the humid air this evening so I volunteered to help her. She presented herself as Eldafire., She was originally from a farm outside of Seyda Neen, but moved into town after her husband died and was now making her living being a cleaning-lady at the Census and Excise office.

"Ah yes, Mr Ergalla is a nice man, don´t pay that much, but always has a friendly word to say and never complains about me works." Eldafire then invited me in for a cup of tea, " To warm you up, lass, ´tis a cold eve tonight, an´ye need to get shelter, rain´s comin´this way."

So we sat by the fire in Eldafire´s little cottage sipping hot hackle-lo-tea and I took the opportunity to ask her a little bit about the small town I´d ended up in. It seemed there weren´t many services in this place. Of course there was a "Silt-strider-line" to a couple of other towns, among them Balmora ..now that rang a bell in my mind; I was supposed to look up a man in that place, so now I at least knew how to get there. When I asked about the Silt-strider, Eldafire told me that this was the giant "insect" that I spotted earlier on my arrival. I got an uneasy feeling in my stomach; I can´t stand ordinary small insects, and this one was huge…..and you actually were supposed to ride inside it. I must have gone quite pale because Eldafire patted my shoulder and laughed;

" Easy lassie, ´tis quite normal, everyone rides it! Fast n´cheap, yer in Balmora in a jiffy!"

Then she also told me about the well dressed man that came to my rescue earlier this evening, and why the people just vanished as he approached…..

"Processus Vitellius it is, you know, the local tax-collector! he´s not very liked here, collectin´ those taxes an´ all……livin´a good life he is ….maybe them taxes end up in ´is own pockets…..you never know!"

I pondered over this bit of information; the local tax-collector came to my rescue in the encounter with those imperial guards, now why would he do a thing like that? Or was it just that he saw another source of income? Or was he just a righteous man that didn´t like injustice?

"he´s gonna end up beheaded one ´o these days" Eldafire nodded solemnly at me as she looked straight into my eyes. I shrugged and moved closer to the fireplace.

Now as I sat there in the cozy cottage, listening to Eldafire´s stories about the citizens of Seyda Neen in general and the story of Processus Vitellius in particular, my eyelids started to drop; it had been a long day and I was totally exhausted. All I really wanted now was a place to sleep. As Eldafire´s cottage was utterly small, she couldn´t put me up for the night but she suggested I go to the Lighthouse, where she told me that her friend Thavere Vedrano might have an extra bed that she´d rent out. Thankful for that advice I bade Eldafire good night and headed towards the Lighthouse of Seyda Neen.


	5. Chapter 2 part 4

Naturally the rain started as I was walking towards the Lighthouse; in a couple of minutes I was totally soaked, so I started running with the thick wet cloak dangling around my legs. When I knocked at the Lighthouse-door it was immediately opened by a thin Dunmer woman in her forties with a weary look on her face.

"Please step inside, outlander," she said in a soft gentle voice, as she stepped away from the door. "You are going to catch a cold in those wet clothes."

"Thank you" I said, my teeth chattering severely, and quickly went inside the warm and cosy Lighthouse.

I presented myself and politely asked Thavere if she had a bed to rent for a couple of nights. I had no intention of going to Balmora yet; first I wanted to enjoy my newly achieved freedom before I reported to somebody and immediately risked getting some duties.

You don't value freedom to its full extent if you haven't been deprived of it and been locked up for some time. For me it was wonderful to be able to go wherever I wanted, to just sit and drink tea and do nothing, not to have somebody telling me what I can or cannot do, to go to bed when I want and not at a certain time because some ridiculous bell is ringing…..

Thavere was more than willing to rent out a bed to me; she was pleased with the fact that I wished to stay for a while, because she lived a lonely and restrained life in the Lighthouse. She could hardly go anywhere because the fire on top of the lighthouse needed constant supervision, but when I later asked her how she managed to get supplies like food and wood, she just smiled shyly and nodded her head.

I took off my soaked cloak and when Thavere was aware of the state of my clothing she gasped;

"Oh, so that's how they trea…." Then she silenced herself by putting a hand before her mouth, blushing, "I'll lend you a shirt and a robe," she continued a few seconds later.

I was given a worn but spotlessly clean shirt and a beautiful green robe made from pure wool and dyed probably with cork bulb-leaves, which yield a deep green colour.

I pondered about why she was so unwilling to talk to me other than about the most necessary things, such as if the clothes fit me and if I was hungry….HUNGRY? I hadn't eaten anything since this morning when I "took custody of" the bread and crab-meat at the Census and Excise building, and that was more than 8 hours ago. There was a pot on the stove, and its contents, a thick stew of crab-meat, saltrice, comberry-leaves and ash-yam, smelled wonderful. My stomach started to grumble profoundly and the sweet Lighthouse-keeper served me a large portion of it.

While eating I came to think of that there was a mystery here; why should Thavere make such a gigantic amount of food all for herself? Was she expecting someone? Or did she know in advance that I was coming to visit?

One part of the answer to these questions then entered the Lighthouse, in the shape of Processus Vitellius, the local tax-collector and also Thavere Vedrano´s "friend." My jaw dropped as I found myself face-to-face with this official authority of Seyda Neen.

The presence of the tax-collector entirely filled the small lower room of the Lighthouse; he was a tall, well-built Cyrodiil with short brown hair and sharp piercing brown eyes, which now were staring sternly at me, as I sat there, eating my supper.

He took off his hat and cloak and handed them to Thavere, who immediately as he entered had rushed to his side, with a humble look on her face.

"Now will there be any evening-meal left for me tonight, Thavere?" he said in a sharp voice, still staring at me…

"Oh yes dear," she replied in a soft voice, "We have a visitor, she ca…

"Quite! I've already met that woman earlier tonight, as I've told you, remember?" Processus turned towards Thavere with a sour look.

I felt a peculiar strain between them; it was obvious they had some kind of relation. I rapidly finished my supper, then decided I'd go upstairs and leave them to sort out whatever was bugging them.

As I sat by the fire on top of the Lighthouse I had a wonderful view of Seyda Neen, if it hadn't been a dark rainy night that is….Despite the darkness and the pouring rain there were quite a few people moving around the small town; besides the patrolling guards I spotted some regular citizens, and among them the little Bosmer the guards harassed earlier. Now he acted rather strange I realised, sneaking away along the house-walls towards the Lighthouse. I moved away from the fire, didn't want him to see me if he accidentally should look up. He headed past the Lighthouse and into a small swampy pond just below where I was sitting. While there he climbed into a hollow tree-stump in the middle of the swamp. I didn't actually see what he was up to, but imagined it would have to be something slightly illegal, why else go sneaking around in the middle of the night?

It started to get really chilly so I went inside the Lighthouse again. No raised voices from below, so I imagined the couple sorted out everything. I went down to ask my hostess the whereabouts of my night quarters, but then the mighty Tax-collector showed his friendliest face and even smiled at me;

"I bid you good evening milady," he said, stretching out his hand. I greeted him back, and sat down for a while on a bench beside the small table. He asked me if I was going to settle down in Seyda Neen, and also informed me of the local rules….that is of course taxes and when and where you pay those. I maybe disappointed him saying that I was just passing through on my way to Balmora, but I didn't want him to think of me as his next source of income.

Then he started to tell me of the obedience of the villagers, or rather lack of obedience with some.

"This Fargoth fellow you were aiding earlier on is a highly annoying man; he's always late with payment. That might end up nasty," he continued.

I also learned about Foryn Gilnith, a poor Dunmer fisherman living in a house of his own manufacture. He always refused to pay taxes………….

As I clearly understood, this man wasn't very popular with the other Imperial authorities of Seyda Neen. I also got an uneasy feeling that the last word was not yet said in this matter!

After some more small-talk, I decided it was about time I got some sleep, but first I took the opportunity to wash myself in a bucket with warm water that was given to me by Thavere. I enjoyed pouring the fresh, warm water over me, a luxury that I had not encountered for a very long time.

Processus Vitellius was apparently not spending the night in the Lighthouse; it was not really appropriate for a man in his position Thavere told me, he was staying at Arrille´s, who also rented out beds, but at a considerably higher price than the Lighthouse-keeper. In fact, as the fee for my accommodations, Thavere just asked me to help out with the supervision of the Lighthouse-fire during my stay so she could get out for a bit, to acquire some supplies and also to visit her old mother, living in Pelagiad, a small town north-east of Seyda Neen.

I considered this indeed was a fair price to pay, and so I bid her good night and lay down on the bedroll at the top tier of the Lighthouse-tower.

I drifted away in my sleep…and so Azura came to me again;

"Serene, Serene of Cyrodiil, you have arrived at your foreseen destination. Fear not, you are doing well …..I am watching you. Before the moons are full the next time, you are to go to the north, to Balmora, to fulfil the task that is laid upon you…


	6. Chapter 2 part 5

I woke up that first morning in total freedom, with a joyful feeling in my heart. So this was how it felt, freedom, not having to do anything. I didn´t even had to get up if I didn´t want to! Then the dream and Azura´s words came back to me; I had obligations, I had to look up this man in Balmora, and it had to be done before the moons were full again! Still, it left me some days of total freedom to explore the surroundings of Seyda Neen, to get some supplies and even perhaps get some money, if Arille was willing to give me a fair price for the items in my sack.

Thavere was already up, sweeping the floor downstairs. We had breakfast together and then I went to the tradehouse to do some business with Arille.

It seemed as if the little Bosmer had kept his word. Arille greeted me with courtesy as I entered his domain. I also got quite a fair payment for my stolen items; about 150 septims and in addition to that a netch-leather satchel, and an almost complete set of chitin armour., No helmet, but I didn´t care so much about that at the moment. A nice chitin longbow with a bunch of arrows and a relatively used steel Katana also found their way to my inventory.

I also purchased some food for Thavere and myself; flour, saltrice, ash-yam, kwama-eggs, hackle-lo-leaves, and two bottles of sujamma. I reckoned I´d have to find out what prey there might be in these surroundings; we would likely need some animal-protein as well. I remembered last night´s delicious crab-meat-stew and decided to see if I could find the origin of that tasty kind of meat. That shouldn´t be any problem; crabs lived in or near water, Seyda Neen was situated close to the shore, thus there would certainly be a nice supply of crabs nearby.

Oh yes, I found crabs alright, or rather ONE crab found me, that was one scary moment as I suddenly stumbled across a crab, a huge crab, big as small rock, but with legs….and claws, which nearly cut off my right leg. But that´s another story which I´ll come back to.

First I unloaded my gear at the Lighthouse, equipped myself with the sword and the bow and off I went hunting. There wasn´t much to hunt close Seyda Neen, so after being out for approximately two hours with no luck at all, I decided to sit down on a nice round boulder for a while just enjoying the nice warm sun and have a rest. Suddenly the boulder started to MOVE, and before I´d grasped the situation, the boulder flung out a pincer-like claw and caught my right leg with it. A sharp intense pain shot up my spine and I screamed out loud as tears gushed from my eyes. I jumped up, the huge beast still clinging to my leg, and frantically slashed it with the sword. Finally I managed to damage the claws so that it let go of my leg, and immediately I drove the sword deep into it's flesh just beneath it´s shell. The giant crab moaned and rolled over…..completely dead. I panted heavily from exhaustion, wiped my face with an edge of my shirt and then looked down on the dead beast. There would be a nice supply of meat here, if I could figure out how to cut it up properly.

The dull pain in my leg then caught my attention; there was a deep cut in the boot about three inches above the ankle and blood was pouring out of the wound. I felt a bit dizzy and had to sit down on the ground, head down between my knees.

"Nasty cut ye got there!" a nasal voice caught my attention, and I looked up and spotted a tall man in a very expensive-looking robe carrying a book. "You gotta get that treated real fast, lady, or else ye might end up with some disease"

I nodded, not exactly knowing how I was supposed to get proper treatment out here in the middle of nowhere.

"Here, let me help you," the man put down his book and carefully removed my chitin-boot to uncover the wound. It was a deep cut, and it was rather dirty, so he squeezed it hard to let the streaming blood cleanse it. I gasped for air, tears started running again, and then I yelled in agony.

"Calm down lady, it´ll be OK," he said, as he tied his belt around my leg just below the knee in order to stop the bleeding. Then he tore a strip from my ruined trousers to wrap up the wound. He embedded some, unknown (to me) herbs in the bandage and I felt the pain diminish a little bit. I knew I would have to deal with it later on but at the moment I was not focused enough to practise any healing-procedures, at least not on myself.

The man peered at me curiously and presented himself as Tarhiel, mage and researcher, at the moment occupied with the manufacturing of a scroll named "Icarian Flight." He also told me that his fellow-mages at the Mage´s Guild in Balmora were making fun of him and would not permit him to do his research at the Guild-house.

"Balmora" there it was again………….

I presented myself and thanked him for his assistance, asking him if there was anything I could do for him.

"Well, if it hadn´t been that you´re injured I´d ask you to be my guinea-pig." he stated. I shrugged; serving as guinea-pig did not appeal to me, so I was a bit satisfied that I in fact had a severe wound that prevented such things..

The look on Tarhiel´s face was an image of unhappiness, so I decided to show some interest in his research. I glanced at the mysterious words that were written on the parchment Tarhiel showed me, and whispered them out ...

"Now try to jump," Tarhiel hissed at me, shivering with excitement……I barely made a slight effort to jump when SWOOSH… I lost contact with solid ground almost immediately and whirled up towards the clouds. I was terrified; something extremely important had struck me-

" What about landing!" I shouted as I was flying high up over the trees. I couldn´t hear his answer…if there was any at all, so I tried to turn towards the sea, deciding that if I was going to make a real crash-landing it´d better be in water, and not on solid rock, otherwise it would be the end of the story for me….

As I saw the water beneath me I felt the scroll wear off, and it wore off rather suddenly too- one moment I was flying high above the trees, the next moment I was free falling!

I hit the water with a huge splash, going all the way down to the bottom….shaken but not hurt. I made my way to the surface again, and then up on the shore, barely avoiding serving as a snack for a huge fish with knife-sharp teeth that came up from nowhere.

Lying on the beach, drenched, terrified and starting to get rather angry, I decided to have more than one word with that lunatic mage that fooled me into trying his outrageous scroll.

Naturally the man had disappeared, and I was in no shape to go chasing after him; my leg had started to bleed severely again, so I tore another strip from my trousers and wrapped it up in order to at least be able to get back to town again.

Two hours later I dragged myself up the stairs to the lighthouse and collapsed just in front of the door, sobbing desperately….

The next thing I remember was lying in front of the fireplace on Thavere´s own bedroll, wrapped in warm blankets, the pain diminished to a dull pounding, and the sweet Dunmer sitting beside me holding a pitcher to my lips.

"There, there Serene", she said in her soft voice, "Drink this and you´ll soon feel better."

So I downed the hot tea and then fell into a soothing dreamless sleep…..


	7. Chapter 2 part 6

I had to recover from the wound caused by the gigantic mudcrab, and I didn't want to heal myself, since it was utterly onerous and I felt like letting nature take it's course this time. Also, it seemed to me that the recovery time would serve as a reminder that I was no longer in "civilized" Cyrodiil. Besides I could pay Thavere back some of her hospitality by just resting beside the Lighthouse fire and thus monitoring it.

I really felt comfortable, sitting on a folded bedroll beside the fire, nicely wrapped up in a warm woolen blanket. Firewood lying handy beside me, just to put another log in the flames now and then to keep the light as bright as possible. There was time for contemplation, time for remembrance, even though remembering the past almost always made me cry.

The nights were getting warmer; I'd lost count of the days but the rise in temperature during the last days, and the fact that the night-chill was not that hard anymore indicated that it had to be somewhere in Second Seed by now. I sat on top of the Lighthouse every night for more than a week, monitoring the fire, pondering the mysterious fate that brought me to this foreign continent, to fulfill a mission, of which I had absolutely no idea, predicted by a goddess I did not even believe in……that was until now. Every prophecy by Azura had come true so far, and still I had no clue of what all this was about, or what exactly was expected of me.

"_Renie, hurry up and be quiet," Ranya´s whispering voice woke me up and I sat up in my bed all dizzy and confused. "What is it, what time is it? "I tried to see something in the greyish light that came in from the curtain-covered window. I rubbed my eyes, but could barely see the dark shadow of my Dunmer maid and friend, as she stood by my bed shaking my shoulder urging me to get up._

"_It's after midnight and we have to hurry now if we're going to make it to the Village in time for the ceremony." Ranya fussed about getting my clothes together, warm panties, a woollen dress and my hooded cloak, which she laid out for me and then grabbed my hand and virtually dragged me out of bed. I stood there in the dark, shivering with cold as Ranya helped me dress myself. Now I remembered what was going on; it was 21st First Seed, and we were going to the Village, that is the Dunmer settlement in the valley to celebrate **Hogithum**, the day dedicated by the Dunmeri tribes to praise the goddess of Dawn and Dusk, Azura. The celebration should take place at Dawn, at the market square and I was very excited to have got the opportunity to participate. Naturally I had to do it in secret; my parents would not have approved of this._

_It was also my birthday and I was a little bit concerned about what my mother would say when entering my room in the morning and finding my bed empty. But I suppressed that thought as I wrapped the cloak tight around me and tiptoed after Ranya out of the house._

_We hurried through the streets of The Imperial City and out in the Nibenay Valley. It was a clear chilly night, no sounds of dragonflies or birds was heard, just our pounding footsteps. _

_Once out in the valley we slowed down for a bit, panting heavily we sat down on a flat boulder to rest._

"_Well Renie, here we are. You don't regret coming , do you?" Ranya´s face glistened from sweat, as she turned to me smiling. I looked at her, my very best friend, grasped her hand tightly as I shook my head; " No, I don't regret anything, I'm very excited about this, but do you really think your family will approve of letting an outlander join this celebration?"_

"_Why of course they will!" Ranya looked at me with consternation, "They love you dear, you know that!"_

_When we arrived at Ranya´s shack at the Village, little Kira, Ranya´s baby sister, came crawling towards us, giggling with joy, waving her tiny hands, all dirty from the damp soil outside the shack. I took her up in my arms, kissing her soft cheeks, sensing the sweet baby scent that came from her despite her obvious state of dirtiness. Oh how I wished I'd have a little brother or sister!_

"_Come, come, we have to go now, the sun is soon arriving and Azura expects us to greet her." The powerful voice of Eneas, the head of the household, sounded out loud in the small room and we all followed him out to the Market-place, where the entire tribe had assembled in order to greet the sun and with that… Azura!_

_All were very quiet, not even the babies uttered a sound. I was sitting among Ranya´s family with Kira in my arms, waiting for the big moment. As the first rays of sun reached the Village-market, the Dunmeri started chanting a welcome-song, one by one they rose to their feet, stretching their arms to the rising sun, singing words I didn't understand, yet they went right into my heart, filling it with a strange yearning for something I didn't have, and would not get. I put down little Kira, stretched my arms to the sun, and let go…. I chanted with the tribe, moved in the same intricate pattern as they did, greeted the sun and praised Azura, tears running down my cheeks, I fell to my knees, Ranya embraced me whispering:_

"_Renie, you feel it, don't you? You're one of us in heart, I knew it"_

"_My children, fear not, I will watch over you, times are getting rough, but a new era is predicted." The soft voice of the goddess filled the air, and with it, a feeling of comfort, of calmness…..Azura…_

_The sun was up by now and its bright rays struck my eyes…._

I sat up with a gasp for breath. The rising sun shone directly on my face. Had I been sleeping? The fire was out and I was totally disoriented. So was it just a dream, the celebration at the Dunmeri Village? No it had been real, I remembered it clearly, but at that time, almost 12 years ago I did not see the hidden message in the event, like I did now. There was some reason for Azura to follow me, to guide me through my life as she had done the last 7 years, and there must be a higher purpose……there must be.

I closed my eyes; this memory was clearly a sign; last night the moons were growing, they should be full in just a couple of days, and by then I had to be in Balmora paying a visit to an unknown man, for better or worse.

My wound had healed pretty well by now and I reckoned it would soon be time for Thavere to return from her visit to her mother in Pelagiad, so I went to Arrille´s to get some supplies, such as foodstuffs, because I wouldn't leave her home emptied. On my way there I met with Processus Vitellius again; "Are you still here lady Serene?" he said in a slightly irritated voice. "Weren't you supposed to go to Balmora?" I nodded and told him I'd be on my way as soon as Thavere was back. He muttered some words and went away. I got the feeling he was not at all pleased with me staying at the Lighthouse.

I managed to get some very nice supplies at Arrille´s this time. A sack of saltrice, very nice fresh ash-yams, bread and scuttle, some comberries for winemaking and the very best; a large hunk of crabmeat. As I stepped out of the tradehouse I heard some yelling and shouting, and to my surprise the noble tax-collector was having a really harsh argument with one of the commoners, who by a closer look turned out to be the notorious non-payer Foryn Gilnith. I did not wish to be involved in this matter so I hurried along to the Lighthouse.

Just before entering the lighthouse I was greeted by a man I had not seen before;, he was a sturdy Cyrodiil, with short brown hair and sad looking blue eyes. He told me his name was Vodunius Nuccius and that he did not like it here in Morrowind; he wanted to get home to Cyrodiil but since he'd been unemployed for almost a year he simply couldn't raise the money for the trip. He wanted me to buy some enchanted ring of his in order to at least partly solve his economical problems, but I was in no mood for buying anything, and especially not some enchanted item that I did not know the effect of.

The man looked so sad that I suggested I'd buy him a drink at Arrille´s to cheer him up, so we went to the bar on the upper level at the tradehouse. The young Redguard woman at the counter looked steadily into my eyes as we sat down to order our drinks. She did not say anything, just handed over the two glasses of flin, which I had ordered. The two glasses became 4 and then 2 more. All the time Vodunius talked about his past in Cyrodiil, and how he longed to go back. I did not say much, but made sure his glass was filled constantly. Unfortunately mine was also constantly refilled, and I downed the strong beverage with pleasure, until I suddenly realized I was terribly drunk. It was no consolation that Vodunius was even more drunk than I, and when he at last fell asleep with his head neatly on the table, I just sat there, wishing I had stuck to water instead. The entire world was spinning around and I felt really nauseous. There were some other men in the bar, among them a huge Nord, named Hrisskar, at least his name sounded that way in my intoxicated brain…..

Then the Redguard woman approached me, telling me it was time to leave; I realised I had to try to get back to the lighthouse somehow, but that was not what she meant;

"Serene, you have to leave for Balmora first thing in the morning; tomorrow night the moons will be full, and you have a mission to accomplish….

I was too drunk to question how she would know my name and destination. I rose to my feet and then the floor came rushing up and hit me in the head, and everything was darkness….

Hogithum - 21st First Seed (21st March) 

Hogithum, the day that all dark elven priests summon Daedra Prince Azura for her guidance and support.


	8. Chapter 2 part 7

I woke up the next morning, my throat dry and sore, and with ten little blacksmiths hammering ferociously inside my head. The punishment of last night's festivities was obvious, and I told myself not to get drunk like that again. There was also a swelling on my forehead, and I couldn't remember how that had happened.

Looking around I found myself neatly tucked in a quite comfortable bed, with sheets made of some white soft fabric, similar to those we had back in Cyrodiil, then a quilt in dark red silk, which I found somewhat strange to find in a tavern in a little godforsaken town like Seyda Neen. But who was I to complain; I lay back, closing my eyes and tried to remember last night's events. The clearest memory was the young redguard woman who seemed to know who I was even though yesterday was the first time we met….

Despite the hammering headache I got out of bed and got myself dressed. Then the door opened and the redguard woman came in bringing a pitcher with hot water and a ceramic bowl; she also brought some sload-soap and a little jar containing something that smelled wonderful.

"Good morning Serene" she said with a smile, "did you sleep well tonight?" She put the pitcher and the bowl on a little table beside the bed, then she pointed to the little jar and told me to rub in the special cream it contained, it would get me straightened up again, she declared. Naturally I did as she told me; I felt really dirty after last night and a good cleansing always makes me feel good.

My satchel was standing beside the bed and after the cleansing-procedure I was able to dig up a shirt and a pair of pants that were a bit cleaner than those I was wearing.

As I stepped out of the room and got into the Tavern I was greeted with a smile from the huge Nord who already was sitting at a table, consuming a big breakfast.

"Aye, lassie, g´mornin te ye, ´ave a ´eadache teday, ´ave ye?" He said with a rumbling laugh and waved a big pointy knife at me. "Hrisskar´s the name, spose ye aint remember huh?

Actually I did remember both him and his name, but I just smiled cheerfully at him as I turned towards the counter where the redguard lady was preparing something that looked suspiciously like a hearty breakfast…..an omelette of beaten kwama-eggs, boiled saltrice seasoned with chopped comberry-leaves, warm freshly made bread, scuttle to go with it, and thin slices of kagouti-steak. The scent of hackle-lo-tea filled the room and I hurried to take a seat in order to fully enjoy the meal.

The redguard woman came and sat down at my table and started talking:

"Why Serene, I'm Elone; my family came from Yokuda, something like 500 years ago to settle down in Vvardenfell. We serve the Emperor truly and members of our family are widespread all over the island, as I will tell you later."

"Now you will be off to Balmora as soon as you've finished your breakfast," Elone continued, "there you'll have to look up Caius Cosades and deliver that package you got from Mr Ergalla at the Census and Excise office."

I nodded and gave up a whimper, as this movement caused a sharp sting of pain in my forehead. Elone smiled faintly at me and shook her head;

"You might find it appropriate in the future not to consume Cyrodiilic Brandy at the rate you did yesterday, but now then, finish your breakfast and get yourself ready for take-off."

I felt a lot better after finishing the sturdy meal Elone had prepared for me, so I checked my satchel to see that everything was there, and then began to walk down the stairs.

"Serene! Wait a moment, I have something for you," Elone´s clear voice made me stop and turn around.

"If you some day happen to visit Ald´ruhn, I will beg you to look up my sister, Neminda, whom I haven't seen for a very long time due to some dissension in the past, and give her this ring, telling her that I miss her and have no hard feelings whatsoever for some events we had no control over…..yes she will understand, just tell her Elone is sorry and wishes her all the best."

Then she handed me a very beautiful ring with a red ruby, glistening with enchantment. I didn't dare ask what kind of magic was bound to this delicate piece of jewelry, I just put it in my satchel and promised Elone I'd visit her sister some day. That is if I was able to find out what exactly this Ald´ruhn is…..

Before leaving Seyda Neen I went to the Lighthouse to take farewell of Thavere. It was an emotional goodbye, I embraced her, tears running down my face, promising I'd come back some day……

Going by silt-strider is quite an adventure if you are not familiar with it! You actually sit INSIDE the giant flea, as it flies rather low, just above the trees, all the time you think you're going to end up as a top-decoration in one of them…

It was a wonderful evening as I reached Balmora, the sun was setting behind the two square-shaped towers that dominated the sky-line, leaving the town in a pinkish purple light that appealed highly to my sense of beauty.

I asked the silt-strider-driver where to find night-quarters, as I had no intention of running around looking for that man, Caius Cosades tonight. I was directed to a tavern called "Eight Plates", not that I was in any need of eight plates, I'd settle for one by all means, but it seemed like good advice at first…..I had to reconsider that when entering the premises.

**Here ends chapter 2**


	9. Chapter 3 part 1

_Always be smarter than the people who hire you._

**Lena Horne**

**Chapter 3 Gathering Forces**

I decided to take a walk through the beautiful City of Balmora before finding my quarters. It was a rather big city; sturdy houses made of some kind of yellowish stone were scattered on each side of a river. I did meet quite a lot of people strolling on the riverbank, and in the streets. Most of them were very friendly, with few exceptions, who were clad in a strange type of armor and called themselves "guards".

There seemed to be a lot of services available here, armorer, outfitters, various shops and, to my greatest satisfaction, I found a book-store. Now I can´t resist visiting a book-store whenever I find one and this time was no exception.

"Balmora Bookstore – owner; Dorisa Darvel" the sign by the door said and I stepped inside, meeting a young Dunmer girl, looking up from a book she was reading, with a friendly smile.

"Good evening to you," she said, "what can I do for you?"

She was beautiful and the kind tone in her greeting touched me, so I smiled back at her.

" I love books," I said, not the most intelligent answer, but I was somewhat stunned by the open friendliness with which she addressed me. "I´d like to look around for a while if that´s Ok with you?"

"By all means Muthsera, you´re welcome, take your time" With those words she got back to her reading.

I turned to the books; there were a lot of them, many unknown to me but also some titles I remembered seeing in Cyrodiil, even in the Library of the prison. When strolling among the bookshelves I suddenly heard someone coughing, naturally I was terrified, I didn´t expect someone else to be there besides the lovely Dorisa, but now I spotted a "guard" in that weird armor I´d seen in the streets. "Well naturally," I thought when my heart stopped pounding, "she has to have some kind of protection, so young and all alone in her store."

I found a couple of useful books though; A Guide to Balmora, and then there was another one where the name of it caught my interest, it was a Guide to Ald´ruhn, Ald´ruhn…there it was again…..my fate was somewhat bound to this place I imagined, far too many coincidences lately! Then I had to stop buying books, if I should be able to pay for night-quarters. It was obvious that I must try to get some kind of a job because I´d soon run out of the few septims I had.

With my new books in my satchel I then took a hearty goodbye of Dorisa Darvel, certain that I´d visit her store again, and made my way down the street. I noticed that the Mage´s and the Fighter´s guilds were situated nearly right across the bookstore; that knowledge could come in handy later on…..

Further down, the street broadened a bit, stairs leading down to the river Odai, as I had just learnt from the Guide, and also stairs leading upwards, but I didn´t bother exploring anymore of the city tonight, all I wanted now was a decent meal and a bed for the night.

From a distance you could hear the whereabouts of the inn "Eight Plates," laughs and raised voices accompanied by some weird kind of "music"…sounded out from a building to the left of the street. I hesitated for a while but decided it couldn´t be all that bad so I went inside…..

It was an Inn alright, but quite different from those back in The Imperial City….This one was dark, there was a distinct mouldy smell oozing from the very walls, and there were not many guests, just two Dunmeri sitting at a table heavily arguing about someone sleeping with someone else´s wife…..another rather drunk man in an even weirder armor than the outside guards, pacing back and forth muttering and hissing at some invisible enemy. Then there was the landlady, a tall elderly Dunmeri woman with an extremely dark voice, shouting at the drunken man to shut up and sit down otherwise he would be expelled from the premises.

I stopped at the counter and asked for night-quarters. The landlady stopped yelling at the drunk and turned to me, thoroughly examining me before saying;

"Nah look what we have here guys, an Outlander….and a woman, now that´s quite extraordinary." She laughed and stared at me, undressing me with her looks and I felt quite bad. It was not a good idea of coming here, but what choice did I have?

"Nightquarters" she laughed…."the little lady wants a bed, right?..and maybe some company to go with it?"

"No, I just want somewhere to sleep and something to eat if it´s possible." I tried to keep calm and be polite, despite the rage I felt inside from her insulting comments.

The men who were arguing before sat silent now and watched me with curiosity, the armored drunk had finally given up, lying beside the wall heavily snoring.

"Women don´t come in here unless they want some company", the landlady snapped at me, "but never mind, I´ll let you have the room downstairs to the right." She then handed me the key and turned away.

The room was very small, a bed, a chair and a little table at the bedside, and it was filled up. Now I didn´t mind that at all, all I needed was a bed, but I checked the lock on the door very thoroughly, didn´t want any visitors….

After putting my gear on the bed, I went upstairs to investigate the possibility of having something to eat. The landlady was not very pleased with the thought of cooking me a meal so she shook her head in a negative answer at my request.

"Now, now, Dulnea, what about those kwama-eggs I brought you this afternoon, you haven´t finished them already have you?" A soft voice came out of a dark corner of the inn, and a young man stepped forward. He was a Dunmer, tall and slender, of about my age, maybe a few years older, pointed cheekbones, a complexion fairly light grey, and a tribal tattoo on his forehead, his red-brownish hair glowed in the dim lights from the lanterns on the wall; his eyes were red but very sad and he looked thoughtfully into my face.

"Oh heck," Dulnea snapped at him, "Very well, I´ll fry some eggs then. You certainly are a strange kind of man, Sedrane Mirpal, always volunteering to aid, and her being a woman and an outlander. Your father would be ashamed of you"…..

"You know perfectly well that I don´t have a father," he said harshly and then turned to me;

"I bid you welcome to Balmora, lady, and do forgive Dulnea, she is a hag sometimes but basically she has a heart of gold; by the way my name is Sedrane Mirpal." The young Dunmer reached out his hand to me and looked me straight in the eyes.

I felt weak; my legs trembled as I took his hand; strong and warm…..I was lost in his earnest gaze, my voice was not but a whisper when I told him my name.

I simply had to sit down, having no idea what was happening to me,…….

"Ok, Serene, let´s put you to bed before you pass out," Sedrane took my hand again and led me down the stairs to my room, "I´ll bring you the food in a minute, but I think you have to

lie down for a while."

Lying on my bed I let my thoughts wander…..No doubt I was attracted to Sedrane Mirpal, he was very handsome, and that dark low voice, so soothing, so calming and so sexy……and his hands, strong, warm and supporting. I closed my eyes and let it come to me, the feeling of something not yet experienced but still I knew what it was….Love!


	10. Chapter 3 part 2

The door opened and Sedrane came in with a large bowl filled with something that smelled quite good.

"Serene, I brought you this, it's something we usually eat back home at the Camp," he said with a faint smile, "It's simple but it fills you up real good."

It was a porridge-like stew made from boiled saltrice and in it there were small chunks of kwama-egg and scuttle. I must admit it didn't look very fancy but the taste was wonderful and it really satisfied my hunger. Sedrane and I ate from the one bowl, also sharing one spoon; there was nothing wrong with that, it felt quite normal to share the meal like that. I was beginning to wonder about what strange fate that brought this lovable young man to my side, but decided to just enjoy the fact that he was there at all!

Sedrane told me about his origin, he was an Ashlander, from the Ahemmusa-tribe, which had its Camp in the northern Grazelands, northwest of Tel Vos. Now this didn't tell me much since I was completely unfamiliar with the land I currently was in.

He told me about the small tribe, the hard times they were experiencing at the present time. They were hunters mainly and the prey in the surroundings had diminished continuously during the last years. Besides that, they also lost their ashkan this last winter, so the tribe was now lead by the Wise Woman. When he mentioned this I saw tears in his eyes; I took his hand and just held it…..

"Sinnamu Mirpal is the Ahemmusa Wise Woman….she is also my mother," Sedrane whispered, bowing his head down. His shoulders were shaking and I understood he was crying. I just put my arms around him and so we sat for a while……

"She's old Serene," he then said, "It's too much for her leading the tribe in combat as well as being their spiritual leader and healer, and she can't prepare the potions we need! The tribe is falling apart, the young ones are leaving for greener pastries, the older ones are too weak to hunt for the support of women and….and there have been no children born in several years, due to some unknown curse; Azura knows we need some coming generations…..oh what will become of my people?" Sedrane cried out in agony and pain so I just put my hands around his face and kissed him…….I don't exactly knew what made me do this, it just felt like the right thing to do at the moment.

The consequences of my action were maybe expected…..we fell down on my bed tightly locked in an embrace…...

It was true that I was no virgin, due to the events in my past, but this time it was something completely different, it was an act of love and caring, of support and warmth, and I just let go…..drifting away on the waves of love…

"_Serene, Serene of Cyrodiil, your next task has begun, fear not child, just follow your heart and everything will be revealed, I am watching over you….."_

Azura! I sat up in my bed, disoriented and dizzy. The room was completely dark; the only thing that was heard was the calm breath of the young man beside me. "Sedrane," I whispered his name, gently stoking his chin; he moved and dragged me down beside him again. I cuddled up in his arms and fell asleep again.

That night I had the best sleep for a long time so I awakened quite refreshed and very happy, turning aside to wake up Sedrane…..but he was gone! On the pillow there was a small leather-satchel with a long strap attached to it. I opened it and found a selection of medical herbs, all very useful for making restoration-potions, and also quite powerful. I was stunned; how could he know I was a healer and alchemist? How could he know I was able to make good use of herbs like that? I sat down tears running down my face; he had left me, but he also left deep marks in my heart….I understood the hidden message in this, somehow the Ahemmusa-tribe was connected to my future, and as Azura had told me; I was to follow my heart…

So I rose from the bed, washed my face in the bucket in the corner and headed upstairs. Dulnea Ralaal, the barkeep, looked suspiciously at me;

"Ye had a good sleep little lady huh?' She chuckled, "Yer hunter-boy left hours ago, headin´ home he was, in a hurry, hadn't time te have breakfast he didn't…"

I just nodded at Dulnea and asked her if I could have a cup of tea; I had no appetite this morning, I just wanted to get on with what lay ahead of me, visiting this Caius Cosades, and then….my heart was with the young ashlander who now was heading home to his tribe.

While having my tea, which Dulnea provided me without hesitation, I consulted my "Guide to Balmora" to find out where to find Caius Cosades.

I was not sure what I was expecting when knocking on the door of Caius´s house, but definitely not the sound of a drunkard's hoarse roaring:

"ENTER, dammit, she door ish opennnn….arrrghhh." then followed by the unpleasant noise of someone vomiting heavily.

I took a deep breath and opened the door. The smell that met me was indescribable; I had to cover my nose and mouth with a corner of my shirt to endure it. On a filthy bed lay a middle-aged Cyrodiilic man totally knocked out, his trousers in a mess, he had no shirt and was gasping for air in between severe coughing-attacks.

I rushed towards him and turned him on his side so he shouldn't be suffocated if he should vomit again. He muttered something I couldn't understand and then lay still. I opened the window to let some fresh air in and then tried to find something to boil water for tea-making. When I happened to look at the man's face...there was a thin stream of blood running from his mouth that was absorbed by the pillow under him. Now that was a bad sign, there was most certainly an open wound inside his stomach, so tea wouldn't be the best thing to give him...

I closed my eyes for a moment then sat myself beside him on the bed. I slowly rolled him over on his back again, he moaned a bit, but did not move. My hands were a bit cold so I rubbed them against each other, then put them on his stomach, concentrating...forcing the power to come, to emerge through my fingers into the poor soul on the bed.

The power built up inside me; I could feel the familiar tickling sensation in my fingertips, the heat...then I felt the open wound inside him slowly close. It was a slow process this time; maybe because the man was dead-drunk, the amount of alcoholic beverage in his stomach hindered the effect of my healing-powers. I concentrated even more; sweat was running down my back, over my face, I was shivering..."Close...close." I formed the words with my lips...Then it went faster, I could feel the wound finally close, so I fell to my knees panting heavily, I had succeeded again; it never stopped puzzling me, that I always managed to perform that healing-process ...It was a true wonder, even though Marthona always said that it was a natural gift I had and no wonder at all!

I wiped Caius´s face with a piece of cloth I found, and noticed he had fallen asleep, naturally asleep, so I began tidying the place up. After a while I felt that peculiar sensation in the spine that tells you someone is watching you, so I turned around and looked into Caius Cosades´s sad blue eyes.

"Who are you girl," he said in a hoarse voice, "What brings you here to watch the misery of an old addict?"

"My orders were to see you master," I said, "I have a package for you"

"NO you can't be the one!" he yelled at me, trying to rise from the bed, "Not a girl, it just can't BE." He fell down again on the bed; the effort of sitting up was too much for him, besides he was still rather drunk...

I did not understand the meaning of his last remark, so I just handed him the documents and watched his face turn from anger and wrath to astonishment and then happiness as he read...

"My request has been approved. "He said quite happily, "Look here:"

He handed me the document and I read with fear rising in my heart:

"**Spymaster Caius Cosades, Knight Errant of the imperial order of Blades, Director of Imperial intelligence in Vvardenfell District, eastern Provinces"  
**

**I have, in the name of His Majesty Emperor Uriel Septim III the honour to fulfill your request concerning the corruption of the Imperial Legion in the District. I therefore have the honour to acquaint you with Serene , an individual of no rank or consequence or even a last name, though with remarkable skills in the noble art of healing, and a strong sense of justice.**

Serene  has been released from prison by His Majesty's authority and sent to you with this message. Serene  is to be entered as a novice in the Imperial order of The Blades and to serve under your absolute authority as you shall see fit except insofar as His Majesty's particular wishes are concerned.

**His Majesty's particular wishes are as follows:**

**Serene  has to be enrolled in The Legion under cover and investigate the nature of the ongoing corruption in order to develop sufficient evidence on the basis of which We shall act. **

**You will provide Serene with adequate disguise, as well as a usable last name and introduce her to General Darius at Fort Darius. She shall report directly to you. If her true mission is revealed, the Emperor will not show any recognition of Serene.**

**I have the honour to be your most humble and obedient servant, **

Glabrio Bellineus  
Personal secretary to the Emperor"

I trembled when I finished reading...I couldn't believe it...It just couldn't be true. What could I, a 23 year old ex-convict, newly arrived from Cyrodiil, possibly be able to achieve with the Imperial Legion in Vvardenfell?


	11. Chapter 3 part 3

" This must be a mistake," I addressed Caius, "I am not a soldier, I don´t fight...besides I hate the Legion ..out of personal reasons." Tears were running down my face again; this was a complete outrage, and I just wanted to run away.

"No, no it´s no mistake, this paper here clearly states it´s you, Serene!" Caius smiled at me, "Now we can´t disobey the Emperor´s orders can we? Besides you just proved your outstanding healing-skills."

I shook my head and remained silent. Was this some kind of joke? Not a very amusing one that was; I once again had that terrible feeling of being set up somehow...

Caius gave me 300 septims, in order to get myself some decent armour, and a letter of introduction to General Darius in Gnisis. He also told me that the easiest way to go to Gnisis was to take the Silt-Strider to Ald´ruhn and then another one from there to Gnisis.

"Well, I´ll have to give you a last name, what about Catraso? Serene Catraso sounds good, don´t you think?"

I just nodded, took my 300 septims and bid the man goodbye. I didn´t bother to buy some armour, because I knew when joining the Legion I would get some for free, if the rules were the same here as in Cyrodiil, that was...So I spent some gold on new clothes instead; I happened to find a fine clothier in Balmora, Milie Hastien, a sweet Breton who willingly showed me her stock of nice clothing.

While spending the afternoon in Milie´s shop I forgot about the strange tasks that lay before me. I was a woman again, a woman on a shopping-spree...that really made me feel good. Milie and I had a cup of tea together, and she told me a lot of Balmora and it´s services, and we giggled like schoolgirls over the amusing anecdotes she could tell about different citizens. Milie reminded me of Leila, the sweet Breton who was my friend in prison, and it made me feel sad for a moment.

The young clothier had another skill as well, something that usually pleased women greatly ; she was very good at fixing hairstyles, so I let her have a go with mine...I never had changed hairstyles in my entire life so it was an exciting moment as she afterwards held a mirror in front of me and let me have a look at the "new Serene." It was astonishing, originally my hair was a mess of auburn waves, just hanging down my back, really nothing special. Now, after proper washing, she´d dyed it jet-black with the help of an extract of Ash-yam, choke-weed, corkbulb-root and a dash of heather, then she styled most of it in a high set ponytail, but left a part falling down on the side of my face. I really looked ravishing, but also harder, tougher, which was the purpose. If I was going to be Serene Catraso, a Blades spy and enroll in The Legion I really had to look like a warrior.

I left Milie´s shop with light steps, heading towards the Strider-port for take-off to Fort Darius. Before leaving Balmora I decided to pay a visit to the Mage´s Guild, just out of curiosity. On my knocking on the door it was opened by a tall Dunmeri woman in a beautiful blue robe. Her hair was long and dark and the look in her face was kindly neutral.

"Please come in, Outlander." she spoke in that dark and seductive voice that is common among the Dunmeri women, "What can I do for you?"

"I´m Serene Catraso, and I´m a healer and mage, so I..."

"A healer you said?" she interrupted, "Well now that´s interesting, would you consider joining the Guild? I´m Ranis Arthrys, by the way." Her handshake was hard as stone and so was the gaze she gave me whilst waiting for my reply.

Naturally I joined the Mage´s Guild, and not just for the nice benefits that were given to members only; teleportation between the Guilds for a low fee, possibility of acquiring accommodations in the guild for free and also free to take what I wanted from the supply-chests. Those were rather nice benefits and I immediately inventoried the chest in the Balmora-guild, and so took care of some restore-magicka-potions, a nice set of scrolls and a couple of soul-gems. Also the chest contained some nice books, that made a good addition to my current collection.

I then bade Ranis Arthrys good-bye and walked away towards the Strider-port.

As I arrived at the port the evening was long gone already, the sun had set and the sky had the colour of warm red comberry-wine. I then took the night-strider due for Ald´ruhn, laid myself comfortably down on the pillows inside the "creature" and fell asleep.

The early morning-sun woke me up as we went down for landing at Ald´ruhn Strider-port. As I stepped off the vehicle I spotted a landscape of a kind I never had seen before; it was grey, all grey, not a sign of green as far as I could see. The ground was cracked, dry and...well just grey! The houses that were scattered in front of me were of a peculiar shape, like shells of some maritime creatures. I decided to make a stop here; the mighty General Darius just had to wait a day longer for his new recruit. I had come to think of Elone´s sister, who I´d promised to visit when in Ald´ruhn...

The citizens greeted me politely but with no warmth; their suspicion towards outlanders was very obvious. The first building I came to when entering the town was the Mage´s guild. The door was open so I stepped in to introduce myself as a new member; it wouldn´t hurt to show a bit of courtesy I thought...

I was welcomed by a Cyrodiilic woman a bit older than I. She told me her name was Edwinna Elbert and that she was the guild-guide in Ald´ruhn-mage´s guild. Somehow she already knew I was a member, and she was kind enough to offer me some breakfast and an opportunity to wash myself.

Almost fully refreshed, body and soul, I took a walk around town. I had my Guide to Ald´ruhn ready so I could easily spot the two buildings that dominated the city; the Temple and Under Skar, where the council was supposed to be. I asked a woman in the street if she happened to know of a redguard-woman called Neminda and to my surprise the woman not only smiled in a friendly fashion, she also knew Neminda and so she could direct me without hesitation; Neminda lived in the council hall in that strange construction called Under Skar.

When entering Under Skar, that actually was a shell taken from an ancient huge Emperor-crab, I was stunned. Before me was a gigantic hall, wooden ladders and hanging bridges crossed this void, leading to doors in the walls. Guards patrolled the ladders and bridges all the time. I asked my way to the Council Hall, and was directed to a spot where 3 of these peculiar doors led right into the wall.

I opened one of the doors and stepped into an entrance-hall that was absolutely gorgeous with its arched roof, exquisite carpets and huge flower-arrangements.

I caught a glimpse of a dark-skinned woman in a blue expensive-looking outfit giving some heavy-armoured guard orders, and realized that must be Neminda...

I approached the dark woman, who turned towards me with a curious smile;

"Neminda," I said, "I´m Serene Catraso and I have a message for you..."


	12. Chapter 3 part 4

Neminda looked at me. "Yes" she said," please tell me"

I hesitated a bit; how I would tell her this in a good way. Her sister obviously wanted to get things sorted out, and I knew Elone a little bit, but I didn't know this woman and I had the feeling I would need her, so the last thing I wished was to annoy her in any way.

I handed Neminda the ring Elone had given me and told her that her sister did not have any hard feelings and that she was sorry for the past...

When I said that, Neminda turned her head down and I saw tears emerge from her eyes. I didn't really know what to do so I just stretched my hand out and the young Redguard grasped it and held tight. Then all of a sudden she raised her head again, wiped the tears away and looked me sternly in the eyes;

"You have brought me much joy, Serene Catraso, and I will forever be grateful to you for doing this, so if there is ever anything I can do for you in return, just let me know..."

I felt good doing this mission, and after taking a hearty farewell of Neminda, I made my way towards the Strider-port in order to finally go to Gnisis. As I rode north, I pondered on what events in the past had parted those two lovable sisters.

Gnisis turned out to be a miserable little village, a few odd-shaped buildings scattered along the shoreline, an Imperial Fortress rising beyond them...and not much more. I took a walk through the village in order to stretch my legs a bit after the tedious Silt-strider-journey. The villagers greeted me politely, but as in Ald´ruhn not very warmly. I asked about where to find General Darius and was told to seek him in the Madach Trade house.

Upon entering the Trade house I was received with suspicion; it was probably not appropriate for a single woman to even be here, but I shrugged my shoulders and asked where to find the General. He dwelt in the lower level of the establishment, I was told...

"Ayyee, they just can't be serious!" the General exclaimed as I told him who I was. "This is no task for a woman, these are serious matters, what in the name of Stendarr was he thinking, the old bugger?"

Even though I by now should have been used to being looked down on just for being female, I became furious;

"Look here Ser General! I did not come here voluntarily, I was ordered by the Emperor himself, to enroll in the Legion, so here I am whether you like it or not, you just have to accept it!"

I was shivering, my shirt was soaked with sweat, tears burning behind my eyelids, but I succeeded in staying composed. There would be no sign of weakness from me anymore, from now on I had to be strong, calm and very focused, otherwise I wouldn't survive. That realization had grown strong during my stay on this godforsaken continent, where I seemed to be a puppet-on-a-string for someone...yet unknown.

The General was stunned after my outbreak; apparently no woman had ever dared to talk to him the way I just did, but I had no regrets, being utterly tired of the male-chauvinism I had met in the last months.

"Hrrrmpfff, ok so what may be your name Recruit?" he said in a remarkably friendlier tone.

"Serene Catraso, Ser...originally from Cyrodiil," my voice was clear and very calm despite the rage that still dwelt within me.

"Okay," he looked at me, then his lips narrowed and he continued; "We'll have to send you to a training-camp, let's see..." he scratched himself on his genitals. I shrugged, knowing it must have been deliberate, just to make me feel uncomfortable... " Ahh now I have it, you'll go to Fort Buckmoth, that's the Fortress near Ald´ruhn and report to Imsin –the-Whor...ehh Dreamer it is yes," he laughed rather unpleasantly, undressing me with his gaze.

By then I really was sick and tired of his behaviour and wished I could tell him who my father was, but instead I took a deep breath to stay calm and said in a razor-sharp voice;

"Aye, ser General"

He then gave me an imperial chain cuirass, and told me to wear it anytime I addressed an officer in the Legion, and 100 septims for expenses.

When I came out from the Madach Trade house, I couldn't stop the tears from running, I felt so humiliated and lonely, and had no one to turn to. Those very few who at least cared for me I had no more; Thavere I had to leave in Seyda Neen and Sedrane...oh when I thought of him I cried even more...

The man by the Strider gave me a piece of cloth to dry my face with as I embarked...he didn't ask any questions, just showed me that small kindness. Grateful and deadly tired I fell asleep during the short trip to Ald´ruhn.

It was quite nasty weather in Ald´ruhn on my arrival, the ash-storm whirled the reddish ashes up in the air and I coughed heavily when trudging along the road to Fort Buckmoth. I tried to cover my nose and mouth with a corner of my robe but the ashes made my eyes run, and I could hardly see where I was going. Suddenly I heard a sound like someone in need, but I didn't pay that much attention to it since no sensible human being would be outside in weather like this.

The whining sound grew louder as I arrived at the slope of the hill west from the Strider-port, and there, walking, or rather swaying in the storm I spotted a woman, far too poorly clad in just a skirt and a torn shirt. She was crying heavily and could be hurt, so I hurried to her side asking her what was the matter.

"Oh where's my husband?" the woman cried, "We were attacked by nix-hounds, and..and...ohhhhh, where is he? Help me please!" The poor woman, a young Dunmeri with short spiky hair that should have been black, but was now covered with the reddish ashes, was crying so heavily she couldn't speak.

I looked around; it was impossible to see more than a few inches ahead due to the whirling storm but I could hear some strange roaring and it filled me with fear. I had no idea what a nix-hound was but it sure didn't sound good.

I decided to place the hysterical woman in a shelter beside a low boulder in order to protect her from the storm. Then I would try to find out what really happened before rushing into something unknown.

When we were sitting together in shelter of the boulder she told me what had happened:

"Aye, my name is Falanu Indaren and me and my husband was heading for Maar Gan to visit my mother who is old and poor, we can't afford to take the Strider though, so we thought it would be a nice walk...now we didn't make it longer than here outside the town then the nix-hounds just attacked us..." Falanu started crying again and I put my arm around her shoulders.

"There now," I tried to calm her down, but she just clung to me, wetting my robe with her tears. I held her until her crying diminished so she could continue her story.

"I´m used to nix-hounds," she said, "the trick is to be still, to play dead if needed, then they lose interest and just ignore you, but if you try to fight back, or run away they attack immediately." Falanu turned her face towards me; the tears had made clean lines in the dust on her cheeks, "He was scared, Drerel," she said, " He started to run away, shouting at me to follow, he didn't hear me, I shouted at him not to run..." Falanu became silent. I rose to my feet, promising her to try and find Drerel.

"He ran away westwards from here,"she said, "He's probably dead by now."

I left Falanu Indaren in her shelter and headed west to try find her husband; the reason was obvious, at least to me Love!


	13. Chapter 3 part 5

Covering my mouth and nose with a part of my cloak I trudged westwards in the whirling ash-storm

Covering my mouth and nose with a part of my cloak I trudged westwards in the whirling ash-storm. I heard some distant roaring but couldn't decide from what quarter it came. I nearly regretted that I had promised Falanu to find her disappeared husband; it seemed impossible in this gruesome weather.

Then all of a sudden I found out what a Nix-hound really was; a hard blow to my back threw me flat on the ground and deprived me of my breath, at the same time something breathed hard on my neck. Its breath was hot and foul and it made me slightly nauseous. I remembered Falanu´s words and lay completely still. The beast clumped about for a while, sniffing at me, poking at me with his wet smelly nose. I slowly moved my hand down to my belt, unsheathing my dagger...As the Hound was at my left side I turned around as fast as I could and buried the dagger in its throat. Warm sticky blood gushed over my hand as the beast gruntled and heavily fell to the ground beside me, twisting and tossing its legs in its death throes. Panting, I stood beside it until it was completely motionless.

As I was sure the Nix-Hound's friends and family would come to its funeral I quickly moved along westwards. The storm diminished and the visibility improved. So when I heard a faint cry riding with the wind I suspected that it had to be Drerel Indaren. I stood still and listened in order to decide from what direction the cry came, and when I heard it again I started running as fast as I could towards it.

Drerel Indaren was lying among some upright boulders in a group; he had squeezed himself tight in amongst them in order to avoid the attacks from the Nix-Hounds. He was severely, but not life-threateningly injured, he had some nasty bites on his right leg and his hands were badly injured from trying to defend himself. The worst thing was his mind though, he was in a deep shock, couldn't speak, he just stared terrified at me, lips silently moving, as I kneeled beside him.

"Drerel," I said, "Don't be afraid, I'll help you to get back to your wife, she's safe a short distance from here."

"Uhu...uuh..." his lips moved but only guttural sounds came out of his mouth, so this was a bad case of shock and I wasn't sure I could heal that... And additionally I could hear the angry roaring from the rest of the Nix-Hound-gang who apparently had found their dead comrade.

I closed my eyes and concentrated, putting my hands around Drerel´s head and held tight, praying that the healing-energy would emerge quickly this time...It did, I felt the warmth that went through my hands into his head, but I didn't exactly know what it really healed inside it. It drained my fatigue, but after a couple of minutes I noticed his eyes lose some of that mad terrified gaze and then he tried to talk to me:

" Errhh, hmmm, who are you?" he asked, his voice still a bit guttural, "where is my wife, **where is she??"**

"Shhhh," I replied, I found your wife, she's safe, I also killed one of the beasts that attacked you, but there still are some left, so we have to be careful."

I then put my hands on the injuries on his right leg and with a rather minor effort succeeded in healing them; my skills must have risen, because I didn't feel as exhausted as I used to, even though my shirt was soaked with sweat, I still could breathe without strain and also concentrate on the wounds on his hands. I needed him fit for fighting because I was aware of the furious Nix-Hounds approaching.

Drerel Indaren stood up, healed in body and soul, looking at me with as it seemed mixed feelings;

"Who are you, sera," he asked, "What powers do you possess...are you a witch or something?"

"I´m Serene Catraso," I replied, "Not a witch, but I do have some healing-skills; shall we go back to your wife now, she'll be waiting for you."

We were heading back towards Ald´ruhn and almost reached it when they attacked, four huge Nix-Hounds were over us in a second; I barely had the chance to toss my sword to Drerel and tell him to fight for his life, before I was slammed to the ground by a vicious blow of a claw-equipped paw. I lost my breath for a moment, and then I quickly rolled over just in time to avoid another vicious blow that certainly would have caused great damage if it had hit me. I jumped to my feet grabbing the dagger, swinging it at the attacking beast without really hitting it; I was far too unfocused and terrified to really fight.

Drerel was quite good with my sword; in a couple of minutes he'd killed one nix-hound and severely injured another. The man was terrified, his eyes wide open, sweat streaming down his face, yelling and thrusting the deadly weapon at the beasts, actually hitting them most of the time. Then I saw the third nix-hound crouching behind Drerel, ready to jump at him, so I flung myself at its back and buried the dagger deep in its neck. The thick warm blood emerged from the wound and was sucked up in the grey ashes of the ground. I felt sick; killing is always a nasty thing no matter if it is man or beast.

After that fight Drerel and I just sat down on the ground for a while, too exhausted to talk. Somehow I managed to take out a bottle with plain water from my backpack and we shared it equally.

Naturally, Falanu was overwhelmed with joy to see her husband again and the couple fell in each other's arms, kissing and laughing. I felt good about this, yet also a bit sad; I wished there would have been someone for me as well, someone who would have been that joyous to see me alive and sound.

The reunited couple was very grateful for my troubles, but had little to offer me in the way of payment for my services. They did, however, give me one of their favourite books, "A Dance in the Fire," which pleased me a lot, because it was a gift from their hearts.

I decided not to continue to Fort Buckmoth this day due to the state of my clothes and weapons; also I yearned for a hot bath to soothe my aching muscles. The Mage's guild and its services seemed to be the ultimate solution at the moment.

Edwinna Elbert did not ask any questions as she encountered the dirty blood-stained wreck of a human being that was me entering the Guild. She just took me to a small room in the basement where there was a pot hanging in a fireplace, filled with steamy hot water, and a huge wooden barrel beside it. She mixed hot and cold water in the barrel, added some Heather and Gold Kanet petals and so bade me step into it.

The scent of the herbs in hot water was wonderful and when the water surrounded me I felt very relaxed and like I was in heaven.

After sharing the mage's evening-meal, consisting of some dark bread, saltrice and comberry-juice sweeted with stone flower-nectar, I was very happy to get to the little guest room and lie down. Almost immediately I fell into a deep dreamless sleep.


	14. Chapter 3 part 6

I woke up the following morning almost fully refreshed, though thus my muscles were still quite sore due to yesterday's fights

I woke up the following morning almost fully refreshed, though my muscles were still quite sore due to yesterday's fights with the nix-hounds. I have found that a hearty breakfast always makes the day more bearable so I looked up Edwinna again; she seemed to have a soft spot for me because she greeted me warmly this somewhat chilly morning and offered me to sit down at the breakfast-table. Now Mages are really sensible people, because the breakfast I was offered to share with them indeed was a most sturdy one; Kwama-egg-omelette, boiled saltrice, fried ash-yam and a huge basket filled with the most delicate freshly made bread. A large pitcher with comberry-juice and one with hackle-lo-tea concluded the menu.

I sat for almost an hour eating and drinking and also socializing with the Mages of Ald´ruhn, who indeed were very nice and friendly. They also supplied me with food for my travels to Fort Buckmoth, because even though it wasn't a long trip they told me the canteen at the Fort wasn't a very good one, so it was best to have some supplies for rainy days.

It took me approximately half an hour before I saw the stone-walls of Fort Buckmoth. On the road I met a young Imperial soldier on leave, heading for Ald´ruhn to take the Silt-strider to Balmora in order to visit his parents. I asked him the whereabouts of the Training-Camp that General Darius wanted to send me to and he showed me the right direction, just over the hills behind the actual Fort.

As I came over the hill I had just climbed I paused and looked out into the distance, seeking any sign of the encampment that I was searching for. Sure enough there was the training camp right where the man I'd met travelling here told me where it would be. There were several rows of tents going over the next hill and out of my sight. To the left of the camp there seemed to be a bunch of blacksmiths with some more advanced housing. Not tents, housing. Large Redoran style houses jutted out of the tents like giant towers.

"I wonder which one of those belongs to the General in command?" I said quietly to myself. I walked forward towards the camp and within minutes I was close enough to hear the sound of someone smacking metal against metal. The blacksmith seemed hard at work today. But as I got closer the sounds grew into other sounds. Yelps of pain and surprise echoed across the plains. I frowned and sped up my pace to see what was causing the noise.

As I came through the rocks that surrounded the camp I saw something that frightened me to death. The imperial soldiers were fighting amongst each other! What could have caused this terrible battle that was going on in front of my very eyes? I looked for a place of safety from this madness but before I could even begin to move my feet in response to my mind a man ran up behind me and grabbed at my shoulder.

"Whaa?" I shouted as I turned around to see what had grabbed me. In the same motion I carried my hand up and swung it around to collide with the face behind me. I smacked the man with such a force he stumbled backwards and almost fell.

"My lady, why do you strike me?" He said when he recovered from the blow. I looked at him and saw he was but a harmless imperial guard.

"Sorry, I thought you were going trying to harm me." I looked at my red handprint across his face and smiled. "Would you like for me to heal that for you?" I asked in my most soothing voice. The man started to take a step back but stopped when he realized what he was doing.

"No thank you. But General Jonus Artorius requests your presence at the tower." The man seemed afraid that I was going to hit him again. He turned and began to walk towards a small wooden tower at the end of the field that the men were fighting on.

"Why are those men fighting each other?" I asked, trying to get the answer the question that I had been pondering since I got here.

"We are practicing for a battle that the general says might happen soon. He says we need all the experience we can get before we go into battle. So right now he ordered some war games between his captains and their troops."

"Ahhh. I see."

As we approached the "Tower" I saw some men standing up at the top of it shouting orders. One saw us coming and shouted down to my escort, "Is that the woman?"

"Yes it is!" My escort shouted back. The man in the tower turned around and disappeared for a few seconds before returning.

"Send her up!" He said and then turned back around to deal with whatever he was occupied with in the first place.

My escort turned back to me, "Go up those steps and make a right at the first door and you'll be in the command room." He bowed, "I bid thee farewell." He backed away and trotted off into the battle that raged a few yards away. I followed his words to the letter and walked up the stairs, where I soon found myself standing face to face with the man I had been searching for.

"Hello Serene," he said in a deep rumble. His eyes showed years of wisdom and his face bore the scars of many battles. I was sure this was a man I would not want to be fighting against at anytime. "Glad to see you could finally make it. We'll get straight to business right after I finish this battle I seem to have on my hands." He laughed and with that he turned and began giving orders to the men around him.

I walked to the window and looked out over the battle field to watch the carnage below. Arrows flew back and forth and men were constantly running into the thick of battle in the middle of the field. I looked closer and saw that in the middle of the field that there was a group of four wrecked buildings. Each building had a flag pole on it and there were flags on each one. Three flags bore the symbol of a bird with sword in its grasp and one had a yellow cross with a shield in the background.

It seemed to me that they were fighting for control of all four buildings. The first army to capture all four would win. I watched as the few men who guarded the last building fought as hard as hard as a whole army. They quickly dispatched of the first few rows of swordsmen that charged them but their numbers started to dwindle when the pike men rushed in. As the pike men kept their opponents at a distance, other swordsmen would rush up and dispatch of them before the defenders could switch their attention to the new men.

Only three defenders were left when a large group of swordsmen from their own army broke through the line that was keeping them from supporting the men defending the last building. They rushed across the rubble and collided with the main force of the attacking army. The shock that they caused rippled across the entire front and the attackers began to waver as the swordsmen cut holes into their ranks.

The men in the other three buildings tried a counter attack but it was quickly engulfed in the mad rush of the swordsmen. Soon the entire army that bore the bird banner was in full flight toward the end of the field.

The battle was over.

"Impressive, General," I addressed the man by my side, taking a deep breath; I almost had forgot to breathe as I watched the battle. General Artorius wiped sweat and dust from his face and grinned at me;

"Not everyday we get a gallant lady as new recruit, "he said in a voice hoarse from many years of shouting orders at soldiers. "We will start by registering you in the Fort´s army-ledger; follow me to my office and I'll provide you with the proper documents for the Registry."

I was still taken by the battle I'd just witnessed and followed the General into his office. It was a rather small room with a gigantic wooden desk that completely dominated it. Bookshelves along the walls and a dark locked cupboard that was squeezed in made it extremely overloaded and there was hardly enough space for the two of us left. He bade me sit down on an uncomfortable wooden chair as he ordered the guard on duty to get the documents needed.

After filling them in I was offered a cup of tea; I didn't recognize the taste, but found it inappropriate to ask the General, because he had a look in his face that revealed he had better things to do than conversating with a new recruit.

"Now then, milady you take them papers to Imsin The Dreamer down at the Fort and get your registration done with, then get yourself some decent armour and come back here and we'll get you some quarters," he grinned at me and continued: "Probably have to post some guards outside for ya ma´m, them young officers haven't put eyes on a woman for a long time by now..."

I thanked the General for his hospitality and headed down from the tower in order to get to Fort Buckmoth to see this Imsin the Dreamer.

It was a short walk from the Camp to Fort Buckmoth; the weather was fairly good for this region, clear sky, no ash-storm, and just a faint breeze that sent my hair whirling in my face. I decided to tie it back before seeing the Registry Officer in order to make a good first impression- such matters are important I've learned.

Fort Buckmoth was a huge stone-construction, built in a square-fashion with a big courtyard in the middle. Nobody approached me as I wandered in through the main gate; everybody was occupied with their own business. I spotted a tall dark woman in a corner, obviously training blocking because there were at least 3 sturdy knights slashing ferociously at her with glistening long swords, but she blocked every hit.

"See that guys?" she shouted at the three after blocking a particularly savage blow from one of them, "It's mostly technique, no force, to block a thrust like that."

"Okay, Shardie!" The tallest of the combatants laughed and patted the dark woman rather heavily on her back.

I smiled at them and nodded before I entered the main Hall of the Fort. When inside I asked my way to Imsin the Dreamer's whereabouts. I was shown the right direction and soon found myself outside a sturdy wooden door. I opened it and entered a rather spacious room, dominated by the huge desk made from a very dark wood that I didn't recognise.

A tall broad-shouldered woman with a long blonde braid sat behind the desk as I entered reading some papers, but then she raised her head...and I felt the ground beneath my feet disappear and everything went dark...


	15. Chapter 3 part 7

"Wake ye up lassie" The so familiar voice made me open my eyes, which then flooded with tears, I took a deep breath;

"Son..."

"So nice te see ya," the woman interrupted, " Ye must be all worn out, ´ave ye eaten properly, lassie?, Le´ss go te me private quarters, and we'll fix ye´up."

I rose to my feet, aided by Sonya, for that's who it was, my old friend from the Imperial Prison back in Cyrodiil, now apparently under cover as "Imsin the Dreamer". Now what she was doing here and why she had to be disguised I did not yet know, but I wouldn't be the one who revealed her, so I just followed her, wiping my face with my shirt.

As we entered her private rooms, located in one of the corner-towers of Fort Buckmoth, she closed and locked the door behind us, turned to me and embraced me.

"Serene," she said, "I knew ye were te come, and I've been waitin´so long..." She put her hands on each side of my face and just looked at me, eyes filled with love and care. Naturally I started crying again; I never thought I'd see Sonya again, and particularly not here in Vvardenfell. For all I knew she had been brought back to Skyrim during my last year in prison.

"Sonya," I sobbed, "I do think it's time for an explanation here." She nodded and told me her story of what had happened since we parted about three years ago.

"As ye may remember, I was said te be transferred te this labour-camp, some months after the plague where thee, Serene, actually was the saviour of the entire prison, using those great healing-skills of yers..."

_At first she was allowed to go back to Falcreath, to visit her mother. Shortly after her homecoming there was a message delivered to her with stamps and seals, from no less than the Emperor Uriel Septim VII, saying that she was requested in Vvardenfell, to join the Imperial Legion there as an agent for the Emperor. She was supposed to train her fighting-skills, her inborn ability of good leadership and then serve as commander of the secret Base that was to be formed in order to stop corruption and dishonesty within the Legion. She was to gather a group of loyal people to help her in this task. There was also another thing she should tend to, maybe the most important and delicate of it all, namely the preparations for the "Return of Lord Nerevar Reborn". Her real superior was a man called Caius Cosades in the city of Balmora..._

Upon hearing this piece of information, I jumped to my feet and cried out: "What? I was told to look this man up as well, what IS this? Some kind of pre-decided setup?"

"Shhhh, calm yerself down, Renie, let me finish," Sonya squeezed my hand and I sat down again, my mind all upset and scared.

_Caius Cosades sent her to a man called Hrundi at Sadrith Mora; this man was a sturdy Nord who was known to be loyal to the Emperor and a skilled fighter as well as leader. Hrundi and Sonya got on very well, and it was he who told her to make up a cover-identity out of security reasons._

"Ye see, I couldn't be Sonya, a former prisoner, so I had te get me self a cover-up." She was silent for a while, but I sat still, waiting for her to continue. As she did a couple of tears started running down her face, and I knew she was to tell something that affected her deeply.

"I once had a lil´sister," Sonya continued, "A sweet lass she was, cud neva say nay, so naturally she was abused, jus´ like I was, that brute te dad we had molested her, I cudn´t let that ´appen cud I?"

" Oh Sonya", I cried as well now, " You never told me of all this back in prison."

"He murdered ´er, Serene!" Sonya rose and started walking back and forth, "He beat her with a pole, fer not bein´cheerful enough, then he forced himself on her fer more then two hours, she bled te death, that she did!"

"That's when I tuk he's life! And right I was te do it; our mom didn't dare te protest, not when he slayed me sister, not when them guards came te put me in prison!"

Sonya took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders and turned to me , face completely empty of all feelings.

"Renie, you cry-baby!" she smiled and handed me a piece of cloth to dry my face, "Nae use te cry for ´er now, she's in heaven, livin´a guud life!"

"Anyway me sister's name was Imsin, and she always wandered along dreamin´of a better life, so I tuk ´er name, Imsin the Dreamer..." Sonya gave me a faint smile and took out a bottle of Cyrodiilic Brandy from a cupboard.

"We need a lil´fortification, don't ya think?" Sipping the golden liquid, Sonya continued her story:

_Sonya, or Imsin as she called herself now, stayed with Hrundi for almost two years. He trained her well and they became very close, in fact they became as close as can be, they even married in secret. But because of the situation they couldn't live together, and that was one of Imsin´s great sorrows._

_After concluding training Imsin was ordered to go to Fort Buckmoth, where she for almost a year now had slowly built up a network of agents, all faithful to the Emperor and to Caius Cosades._

"I can't tell ya their names, Serene, ye wouldn't be safe if I did, but I'll tell ya what you are supposed te do!"

"Ye have te stay at that training-camp for a year, te improve them fightin´skills of yers, and ye do it alright, ye hear!" Imsin smiled at me when saying that. " General Artorius expects nothin´but the best of ye!"

"After that, I have a mission for ye, and I just know yer gonna like it! So make sure ye report back to me after the training." Imsin took me by the hand and put a light kiss on my cheek.

"Nah, we aint gonna meet until yer a trained fighter, Serene, there shud be no suspicion of former connections between us."

I nodded; it made sense to me. I finished my brandy and was heading for the door when Imsin stopped me;

"Ye may eventually come upon a man, Serene, a man that is believed to be Lord Nerevar Reborn...maybe I'll give ye some snippets of information about him, sae ye know what te expect."

I was totally confused; I never heard of Lord Nerevar Reborn, who he was or even what he was, then again I had just spent a couple of months in Vvardenfell, and hadn't met so many people yet.

Imsin then opened another cupboard, filled with books of various styles, and took out two small books that looked ancient to me.

"Here y´are," she said and handed me the books, " Ye might wanna study those, so ye see what I´m talkin´about."

The two books; "The War of The First Council" and "Nerevar Moon-and-Star", really were of considerable age according to their looks so I tucked them into my backpack, to study them later.

"That man I was telling ya about," Imsin looked at me thoughtfully, "He's by far the nicest man I ever met!, They say ´e was a stable-boy from far out in High Rock, then did time, ´e did, just like us, then was shipped ´ere and now is walkin´around doin´ good things just te prove he's Nerevar Reborn..."

"So ye´d recognize him, he's tall and fair-haired, and ´e has the brightest an´ friendliest blue eyes I've ever seen on a man," Imsin gazed into the air, probably thinking of this wonder of a man who apparently was walking about in Vvardenfell doing good deeds.

I then happened to look out the window and saw the sun was already setting, so apparently I had spent most of the day in the company of my former friend, but now I needed to get things in order, so I asked Imsin about the registration-business, that I originally was here to accomplish.

The registration in The Imperial Legion was a fairly simple matter, I had to tell my name and birth date as well as my origin and that was it. Imsin glared at me with a queer smile when I told her my full name.

"Catraso huh?"

After completing registration I said goodbye to Imsin and headed back to the training-camp, where a new part of my life was to begin.


	16. Chapter 3 part 8

The first thing I had to do was to look up General Artorius again and show him the registration-forms I got from Imsin

The first thing I had to do was to look up General Artorius again and show him the registration-forms I got from Imsin. Whether he was pleased to see me again or not was hard to judge; his scarred face revealed no particular emotions.

First thing on the agenda was to provide me with some armour and weaponry. The deal was I would get more fancy utensils each time I raised in rank, a fair thing I reckoned.

I started out as a Trooper because of my already proven skills; apparently The Legion had gotten some records of mine already. I never stopped wondering how the information-flow on this continent actually worked; it seemed as there was some pre-destined path that I was supposed to follow; each time I was ordered to do something or to meet someone, it was already known by the people involved!

The appropriate armour for a Trooper in The Legion was a steel Imperial style, and fairly heavy. I tried to wear the cuirass and almost panicked, because I just could not make a move wearing it and even less handle a sword or shield. General Artorius looked at me and shook his head; of course this armour would not be suitable for a woman, with that much less strength, and so he sighed and told the officer at the Armoury to find me something else.

"Now Trooper Catraso, report back to me after you've got your uniform and we'll get you your quarters," General Artorius saluted his subordinate and went back to his office.

The Armoury-officer gave me a somewhat queer smile, looked at me very thoroughly and then presented me with a Studded Leather Cuirass, Imperial style,

"Try this one on, miss," he said, still undressing me with his looks. I shrugged and put the cuirass on, and almost panicked again...The leather was thick and absolutely motionless, I couldn't even get my arms in front of me and it was so tight , my breathing was affected. I tore it off with a groan;

"I can't breathe in this one," I stated, panting, "Please find me something else."

"Now there lassie," he said in a superior tone, "It's not for you to state the rules here, and demanding some special treatment." He then turned away from me, and began poking among the different types of cuirasses lying on a shelf behind him.

I was getting slightly angry now; this was no voluntarily action from me; I was ordered to go here and that for a certain purpose, yet unknown to me. So I found it very unfair of the officer to treat me in such a humiliating manner.

At last he presented me with an Imperial Newtscale cuirass; it looked hard but was lined and seamed with soft netch-leather and seemed both lighter and smoother than the other one. I tried it on and it fit perfectly; also I had very good mobility in it. Apart from the cuirass I got a pair of Netch-leather boots, a helmet also made from Netch-leather and some soft leather gloves to protect my hands from being hurt when handling the sword, and a steel longsword, newly sharpened and cleaned.

I thanked him and hurried out of the Armoury. I definitely didn't like the man back there; his staring eyes and superior manners didn't appeal to me at all.

Back with General Artorius I felt better. The aged officer had a friendly attitude towards me; he maybe didn't exactly like the fact that I was a woman but never rubbed it in my face; in fact he treated me like any recruit, at least that's what I thought before I went into his office all armoured up and with the longsword hanging by my side.

Getting sleeping quarters for me was not that easy; the General was worried about how his men would react having a woman living amongst them, especially as most of them had been without female acquaintances for quite some time. He therefore put me up in the storage-building, a rather spacious Redoran-style house, not far from the big main-building where the dining-rooms, the kitchen and the leisure-rooms were situated.

I didn't mind sleeping next to the foodstuffs and the other army-gear that was stored in that building; I got a small room of my own with a lockable door, inside there was a bed with a fairly new dark-red blanket and at least four big pillows. Beside the bed there was a small cupboard with a jug and a pitcher on top of it, and covering one of the walls there was a bookshelf, almost filled with various specimens of literature. Now that surprised me, until the General said:

"This is the room I normally use when I need to get away from the daily life, when I need to contemplate and think about other things than warfare and other military matters. I have always been a huge friend of books," he smiled at me, "Not so common amongst military officers, really."

I found this very appealing though, and it raised my disposition toward the General quite a bit. I asked if I could read some of the books in my spare time and he nodded, with a kind of odd smile on his face.

"It's rather late now, Trooper Catraso," he said, "The supper will be all finished, so why don't you go into the kitchen on your way back to your quarters, tell the people there I sent you and ask them for something to eat...Now reveille is tomorrow at 0600 sharp, breakfast will be served at 0630! ..Dismissed!"

I walked down to the kitchen and asked politely for some supper. A lady worked down there, a Dunmeri woman in her late fifties, tall, dark with a sad look in her face. She provided me with some bread and an omelette from Kwama-eggs. A cup of hot hackle-lo tea accomplished the meal, and I thanked her heartily for her trouble.

"No trouble at all, little lady," she said, "I´m only happy to meet another woman; it has been a long time since I've met one here at the fort."

I realized that she wanted to have a chat with me, since she poured herself a cup of tea and sat down at the table opposite to me.

She told me her name was Lalatia Vabdas and she originally lived in Gnisis, but after she became a widow half a year ago she started to work as a cook and kitchen maid at the training camp at Fort Buckmoth. For the time being she stayed at her daughter's house in Ald´ruhn. Her late husband had worked at the Gnisis Egg-mine, but after its closure the couple was near starvation so the poor man once went into the mine in order to collect some fresh eggs; unfortunately he was caught by a notorious legionnaire and foully slain.

"I reckon it was their bad conscience that made them give me this job," she grumbled, sipping her tea.

I felt uneasy about this killing of a starving man just trying to support his family, I regarded it as cold-blooded murder, and the feeling that there was something more to this wouldn't leave my mind.

It was quite late as I unlocked the door to my quarters and flung myself on the bed after putting all my armour-gear in a corner...So I fell into sleep, not even undressing...

"_Serene, Serene of Cyrodiil! The first part of your mission has now begun, be a good soldier and improve your skills. Talk with the golden-haired lady in the castle, follow her orders. Before this year has ended you will be elsewhere, in a place of despair and agony, but you are to be the pathfinder, the guiding star, the prophesied saviour...Serene, I will watch over you, I will guide you...trust me!"_

Azura! It had been a long time since she'd visited me in my dreams, so I sat up in bed, shivering from a strange coldness, yet I could feel sweat running down my back and between my breasts. Trembling from the experience, I wrapped the blanket tight around me, lay down and let the tears run until I at last fell into a dreamless sleep.


	17. Chapter 3 part 9

I woke up to a day that was very much alike all the other days I spent at this camp; first breakfast, a really sturdy one, it

I woke up to a day that was very much like all the other days I spent at this camp; first breakfast, a really sturdy one, it took me about a week to get used to the meals in general and the breakfasts in particular. The breakfasts were meant to provide a good start of the day; the other meals to maintain strength and agility during the various exercises and trials that were due to come.

I usually tried to get a chance to talk to Lalatia Vabdas if it was possible; I liked the woman but I also had a feeling she was to have some influence on my future. I was not yet to find that out though.

It was clearly a different experience to be a woman at this camp, mostly because I was the only one at that time if you don't count Shardie, the Block-training superior. To start with I spent a full month to refine my already rather good Long-blade skills. I tried to remember all that Telemachos taught me at the Prison back in Cyrodiil, and I think I did rather well. I trained in slashing and thrusting until my arms were numb and I cried in pure exhaustion.

During that first month I did almost nothing but train, eat enormous amounts of food, and sleep. My muscles grew, I achieved a better posture, and my mind was getting more alert and focused. Lalatia Vabdas noticed the changes in me and was very supportive; also she didn't let me forget that I was and still am...a woman.

The training-program then continued with how to use a short blade, a spear and a bow; it was crucial to know how to handle various types of weaponry, they told me. And who was I to object? I did what I was told and worked very hard, and so I got my promotions in the Legion, first to Agent then to Champion.

I must admit I was very proud of myself as I got the rank of Champion presented to me by General Artorius himself at a small ceremony at the grand chambers at Fort Buckmoth. I even got a glimpse of Imsin among the group of people attending the ceremony.

I was now required to wear Imperial steel armour, and by this time I had no difficulty wearing such heavy, sturdy armour. My growing muscles had made me both bigger and a lot stronger so I felt rather comfortable wearing it. If only my father could see me now, he would have been so proud. Thinking of my past didn't make me weep anymore; it just burned behind my eyelids, nothing more. I had apparently grown both mentally and physically.

When I'd been at the camp for 6 months I had the right to take 3 days off, to visit my family, if I'd had one but I took the opportunity to get away from the camp, being a bit tired of all the more or less nasty suggestions given to me on a nearly daily basis. Nothing foul had happened but I was very satisfied with the strong door with the sturdy lock on my private quarters.

I spent the evening before my so-called vacation with Lalatia Vabdas. She advised me to join one of the Great Houses in Vvardenfell; by doing that I should get some sort of a family and also support and shelter. Maybe even a home...That sounded good I reckoned and as she also told me that Neminda in the Redoran Council at Ald´ruhn was the one to contact if I chose The Great House Redoran, my choice was made. I'd go to Ald´Ruhn first thing next morning and talk to Neminda. It might be an advantage for my further advancement in The Legion if I belonged to a Great House, and also, and that was the main reason for me to even consider such an arrangement, I would get a family again!

That night I wept myself to sleep; shook off the mental shield and became "little Renie" again, outcast from the Vantinius-family, deprived of name and honour, ex-convict, with no one to turn to.

Next morning after breakfast, I set off for Ald´ruhn. It was a beautiful morning, some clouds in the sky but with a rather warm sunshine. I had to put on my robe; the steel-armour I was wearing got blazing hot in the bright sun, so I felt as if I was to be cooked inside it. Sweat streamed all over me and soaked my shirt and trousers completely.

Suddenly I was shoved to the ground by a vicious blow from behind, followed by an agonizing scream...I dived to the ground right on my face, the grey ashes filled my mouth and nostrils, but I managed somehow to roll over before something came swishing from above and just barely missed me. Now this was my first but not last encounter with a cliff-racer, one of the most annoying creatures in Vvardenfell. It looks like a bird, but has a long tail with a sharp claw at the end. The creature swings this tail at you with an utmost precision exactly where it will do the most harm. And they are fast! I just barely had the time to once more roll over before the huge tail came at me again. At the same time it attacks you, it screams...a terrible high scream that really hurts your ears.

Since I had no intention staying on the ground rolling back and forth to avoid the attacking cliff-racer, I prepared myself the next time the tail was heading at me, and grabbed it with both hands. My intention was to drag it to the ground and then ...kill it somehow, but I overestimated my acquired strength or rather my bodyweight, because I was rapidly pulled off the ground and up in the air, before my hands, slippery with sweat, slid off the tail sending me in a perfect arc right among some upright boulders, where I fell heavily and was knocked out for a while.

The beast screamed in anger and agony of the lost prey and started hovering over the area. I was unconscious for a minute or two before I composed myself and managed to get hold of my longbow that luckily enough had landed not far from my hideout after the involuntarily flight. Also there was only one arrow left in the quiver, so it was clear that I had one chance..Not more. I aimed thoroughly, the best I could in my situation, lying among some rocks, beaten and bruised, shivering from fear.

I waited for the beast to come closer; something warm was running down my left leg, I didn't dare to look, since every single move made the pain shoot right up my spine, the leg was probably broken, but I had no time to deal with that at the moment. The Racer was closing in, it must have caught the smell of blood and sweat emerging from me; I aimed, waited until I could actually sense the putrid odour of the beast, then I let go of the arrow. It hit the cliff-racer in its throat and must have pierced its windpipe because the creature gave up a horrible sound and fell heavily to the ground less than three feet away from me.

I sat still, panting , the relief of getting out of this was immense. Then the pain from my injured leg caught my attention. On examining it I found that it was broken, and in addition I was stuck between those boulders due to my steel armour. I had not the strength left to perform a healing-procedure, so I just leaned back...and eventually fell asleep.

_Serene, Serene, wake up, you must heal yourself immediately, I will support you. Take off that armour of yours, let your powers heal your leg...I shall guide you.._

The voice in my dream was coming from the woman clad in a blue-white robe, the woman who I knew was a personification of Azura. I naturally woke up, quite calm, knowing what to do. So she was always following me, it must mean something, I just didn't see it yet.

I managed to take off my steel boots and greaves so the wound was visible. The leg was totally broken just where the boot ended. The trousers were soaked with blood and the bones were visible. I felt sick, and cold sweat ran down my face; I just couldn't do it this time. I managed to defeat a cliff-racer only to be defeated by a broken leg.

"_Serene, put the bones in place, I will guide you"_

I gasped; this was the first time Azura had come to me when I was awake, and I heard her voice in my head loud and clear, just as if she stood beside me. Then I noticed my hands moving without my will and gently putting the broken bones in place. I sobbed, for the pain was immense but...then it began to diminish as the heat from my hands was flowing into the wound. The healing-process was slow but steady, and I felt the leg getting stronger. Then I passed out, the exhaustion was too much.

When I opened my eyes again the sun was setting...the sky was wonderfully coloured in red, orange and purple. My leg was sore but healed, and I made an effort to get loose from the boulders. Standing up I tried to use my legs successfully. The steel-armour was battered and would need some fixing up before I got back to the Camp again or else the General would be annoyed.

But first of all I needed some fix-me-up, before I could even go near Neminda, smelling like a dead guar as I did. I decided to ask the friendly mages for help when I arrived in the town of Aldruhn.

Edwinna Elbert smiled at me when I entered the Mage's Guild;

"So Serene, you are visiting us again I see, and you look as if you could do with a bath and some clean clothing again I reckon?" Edwinna said. I was embarrassed, this was the second time I took advantage of the friendly hospitable mages of Aldruhn, but as with the first time, I did not have much choice this time either.

Edwinna examined the healed leg and was then very thoughtful. "Did you heal this yourself, Serene?" she asked, "Because if you did you really have amazing healing-skills, healing one-self is by far the hardest things to perform."

I said I did but also mentioned the help from Azura. And the encounter with the cliff-racer that caused the whole thing. Edwinna laughed when I told her about my "flight";

"Now how could you even consider taking down a cliff-racer with your bare hands, girl?" she smiled,"You have not improved your humbleness have you?"

After a hot bath and dressed up in some very nice clothes that originated from Edwinna´s own wardrobe, I was ready to visit Neminda. Just before I left The Mage's Guild I got a glimpse of a tall man talking to one of the mages, he was blond, tall and quite muscular, but what caught my attention was the aura of strength and power that surrounded him...I couldn't take my eyes off him.

Edwinna noticed my hesitation and smiled at me;

"That is the man called Trey of High Rock," she whispered, "He's a very good man, always polite and nice. I think he just brought some books for our scholars..."

"We here in the guild have heard rumours from the Imperial City, that the Emperor thinks he might be the one. The Reincarnation of Lord Neverar reborn. That is of course just a rumour, but imagine...

I tried to remember what I had read about this phenomenon in those books Imsin gave me when I arrived, and I hoped I was to meet with this man...one day.

As I arrived at the Great Hall in the Redoran Council, Neminda immediately spotted me and waved cheerfully at me. I felt warm at heart and hurried to approach her.

"Serene! It's good to see you." Neminda shook my hand and smiled happily at me. "What brings you here?"

"I...I would like to join ..."

"Ahh, you would like to be one of us? You want to join The Great House Redoran?" Neminda sounded very happy as I nodded..

We went inside Neminda´s small office and she presented me with the proper papers to fill in. As she noticed I was a healer she stared very strangely at me. I got the feeing that this fact was the most interesting about me.

"Now then Serene," she said after the paperwork was done, "I am sure you will be comfortable amongst us and I can see your skills and personality will fit in very well in House Redoran".

"You will have to perform one minor quest for the House before you will be given a sponsor or mentor if you like," she continued. "There is a lady who lives in the countryside outside the town on a farm. She is a guar-herder and has lately had some problems with ...oh believe it or not..Mudcrabs attacking her guars!"

I looked at Neminda with surprise, I thought mudcrabs would live by the sea...but this was an exception I supposed.

I promised Neminda to have a look at this first thing in the morning; right now I just needed some food and a good night's sleep, so I headed back to The Mage's Guild and humbly asked if I could use one of their guest-rooms.

Of course I could, and even more, Edwinna had arranged for my armour to be mended and polished. So after a simple supper I tucked myself in, and immediately fell asleep.


	18. Chapter 3 part 10

I made an early start next morning, according to the map Neminda gave me yesterday, it would be quite a walk to get to Drulene

I made an early start next morning, according to the map Neminda gave me yesterday, it would be quite a walk to get to Drulene Falen´s Farm. The morning was bright and clear, no ash storms, no rain; a chilly wind blew over the dry and grey landscape as I headed for my first task for The Great House Redoran. I felt content and happy; I was going to get a family, a home, something to belong to, a thing I had been missing for a very long time.

I was watchful as I strode the path leading to Maar Gaan; I had my encounter with the Cliff Racers well in mind and did not want another one. The map was very well done so I really had minor problems finding the little opening in the lower vegetation where the Guar Farm was located. A couple of Guars were slowly patrolling outside a small house with a nice little garden in front.

Drulene Falen, a tall Dunmeri lady in her fifties, greeted me rather warmly, despite my obvious Cyrodiilic features.

"Ahh, you are the one Neminda sent?" Drulene was apparently not expecting a woman to help her out, "Why this can be a heavy duty, are you sure you are strong enough? I'd reckon Neminda would have thought of sending a man instead, it's not a woman's job, it ain't"

I reassured Drulene I was strong enough, and after trying to help me off with my heavy steel cuirass, she was convinced I could handle the situation.

She offered me some hackle-lo tea as a small fortification and so we sat down on a narrow bench just outside the house, where she told me her story;

Drulene Falen was a widow since five years ago, and made her living breeding Guars, mostly for training them into pack-animals but also for their very tender meat. Her late husband, Tralayn Falen, was killed scouting the Red Mountain Area. This was the first time I heard about Red Mountain, but it would not be the last...

The Farm had been rather prosperous for quite some time but during the last year prices on Pack-Guars had lowered so she had to struggle quite hard for her living. Therefore the sudden attack of the hostile mudcrabs was a severe blow to her entire living. They had captured a Guar and dragged it along westwards. The loss of a presumptive Pack-Guar meant a major economic drawback for her. Why mudcrabs would come all this way into the country she could not explain; their normal habitat was close to the sea.

Nevertheless I got the picture and set off to try to exterminate the crabs and maybe recover her lost animal. The more to the west I went,the the more the landscape changed towards the kind of environment you find near water; obviously the mudcrabs were heading home with their prey...

I found them in a grassy opening quite near the coast. The sun was bright and the heat was devastating. Sweat ran down my back, and I had to sit down for a while behind some huge Gold Kanet bushes before performing my task. The mudcrabs had dragged the Guar with them all the way from Drulene´s farm, then killed the poor animal, and filled their stomachs with its flesh. The odour from the half-eaten cadaver reached my nose, and I understood that there was nothing to do to save some for Drulene.

Still I had to deal with the mudcrabs. They looked rather big to me, bigger than the one I had a meeting with outside Seyda Neen last year. I took off my cuirass; mud crabs don't jump on you, they pinch your legs, so it would only hinder me.

I wiped my sweaty hands on my shirt, unsheathed my sword and started walking towards the beasts. Mudcrabs do not have very good eyesight so I was quite near them before they even noticed me, but when they did, they attacked immediately; squeaking and clipping with their pincers they came at me, both of them...at the same time but from different directions. One of them grabbed my left boot, and I could feel the steel slowly bend...the other one I managed to turn upside-down with a slash of my sword. A mudcrab upside-down looks rather ridiculous, making squeaking angry sounds and waving its claws ferociously in the air without achieving anything. I laughed as I watched it struggle to turn around.

The one that had caught my left boot was about to perforate it so I realised I'd have to do something about that immediately. A hard thrust of my sword hitting just between the claws made the crab loosen its grip, and I quickly drew my foot back and kicked the astonished mudcrab from below so it also ended upside-down.

So now I had two angry mudcrabs lying on their shells waving claws at me, but I was aware that they would succeed in turning around in a short while so the best thing was to end their misery as soon as possible. A couple of deep cuts with my dagger into the soft parts of the crabs took care of it all.

A thought entered my mind, seeing the two huge dead crabs. I might be able to somewhat compensate Drulene for her loss if I could bring home the meat to her. Crabmeat was delicious and it could be dried to last throughout the coming winter. I immediately started to recover the nice white meat from the two crabs, neatly putting it on some cork bulb-leaves that I'd first put on the ground. Then the next problem occurred; how could I get all that meat back to the farm? It was far too much to just carry and I had nothing to carry it in. So there I was standing, a huge heap of fresh crab-meat on the ground...and two empty crab-shells...crab-shells?

Then I knew what to do. I carved two small holes in one of the shells just along the edge where it was laying upside-down. There were lianas hanging from some nearby trees, so I went to get one, about 3 metres long. This liana I threaded through the holes, and then had a kind of sleigh, to put the meat in, now all I had to do was drag it behind me.

So I headed back to Drulene´s farm, slowly walking, dragging an upside-down mudcrabshell behind me filled with crabmeat. The other crab shell I used as cover, in case any Cliff racers should feel like an extra treat.

It was late afternoon when I arrived at Drulene´s farm again...No need to mention how happy she was about all that meat. She embraced me, tears running down her cheeks;

"Oh you lovely girl"she said, "Come let me offer you something to eat and drink, before you must go back to Neminda."

I was offered some bread and tea; it tasted wonderful, mostly because it was a gift from heart; Drulene barely had food to survive herself and yet she offered me some of it. Sitting in her cosy house sipping my tea I felt really satisfied with myself. Drulene was a woman who loved books from the looks of her place. The room in which we sat was covered with bookshelves from floor to ceiling. There was a book lying on the table where we sat, it was called "The Hope of the Redoran," and since I had just joined that particular house I naturally was interested in that book.

Drulene showed it to me, it was a history of one of the leading Families in House Redoran, the Sarethi-family.

"My late husband, Tralayn, used to work for Serjo Athyn Sarethi," she said, "A noble man he is, always honest and righteous, a great leader ..."

I thought about that when I later headed back to Ald´ruhn to report to Neminda, who indeed was pleased to hear how I had helped Drulene out. Especially she was pleased that I had arranged some winter-supplies for the poor widow.

I was to be back at the training-camp early next morning so I decided to take a walk back this evening and arrive early.

Neminda said goodbye to me and told me that when I was finished with my training I should get back to her and she then would have organised a mentor for me, including a family with whom I could stay while in Ald'ruhn.

Pleased with that information I walked back to Fort Buckmoth, to accomplish the second half of my training.


	19. Chapter 3 part 11

I arrived at the Training camp after the sun had set and first paid a visit to the kitchen to see Lalatia Vabdas and possibly get something to eat. The last three days had rather put an appetite in me so I hoped for the best.

"Serene, you are back!" Lalatia greeted me warmly and immediately started preparing some hot tea. Also she got some bread and a pot containing a golden syrup-like liquid. She presented the pot to me with glittering eyes and asked me to taste it. I did and it was just wonderful, sweet and smooth. When I asked what it was she smiled secretly at me and chuckled:

"Guess, child, guess! It is something I used to make back home....when my husband was alive, and when I could get hold of Gold Kanet flowers!"

I tasted it again, closed my eyes letting the smooth sweetness fill my mouth and even then I could not even imagine what it could be; I had never encountered something like it before.

"It is honey!" Lalatia was all smiles, "Made of nectar from Gold Kanet flowers."

I was astonished, such sweetness coming from flowers? I wonder how she had made it, the amount of nectar per flower was rather minor, and there she had an entire pot of it! I suspected there was a secret here.....

I enjoyed the meal Lalatia prepared for me and told her while eating of my adventures during the leave. She laughed when she heard of my encounter with the mudcrabs, a bit concerned though that mudcrabs did get that far into the land. She told me that was a bad sign.

When I asked her how to make honey, she smiled at me and said it was her well hidden secret, but when I left in six months I would get the recipe......

The following morning as I reported to General Artorius he had a surprise for me. He was not alone in his office; General Darius was also there, and bade me welcome. The generals looked at each other and General Artorius said:

"Ok, so you tell her about our plans, after all you are the one she shall report back to in this matter."

"Ok, Serene...ehum Catraso was it?" General Darius cleared his throat, looking at me very sternly. "You have really improved yourself these last six months, so we...that is I, have decided to send you on a very important, yet delicate task for the Legion."

General Artorius bade us sit down and rang a small bell. A butler entered with some flin and dried ash-yam...not very tasty but it was ok to have it together with flin.

"So Serene," General Darius began, "Maybe you have heard of the Talos Cult?" I said I had heard some rumours from my fellow legionnaires about it, but just very vaguely, and nothing more than that such a cult really existed.

"Well the cult itself is not a problem, the cultists just worship the former Emperor Tiber Septim, and as long as they just do that.....well then we can leave them to it....BUT, my dear Serene, some rumours have come to my ear that they are involved in a plot against our current Emperor Uriel Septim!"

I looked at General Darius; I started to slightly understand that the task he talked about was not only important and delicate. It was probably dangerous as well! I had a strong feeling these two generals were about to send me right into the bear's nest, a fact that worried me quite a lot, since I had no wish to get involved in politics at all.

"So, Serene, " General Darius continued, "What we...ehum I want you to do is very simple, you are to go to Gnisis in three days, under cover, and join this Talos-cult, keep your eyes and ears open.....and report to me their plans and actions."

"You are to act very secretly, under thorough cover; you have three days to prepare a fool-proof disguise. If you are caught, I will not under any circumstances recognise you, so then you are on your own."

I was stunned.....I had to join a cult that probably was planning to murder the Emperor, go under cover to actually spy on them! And without any protection from the Legion.......I found it outrageous; why couldn't the Legion stand behind me? Were they afraid or.....was it something else? But who was I to object or even question their decisions. One thing I did ask though;

"Sir General...why me??

"First you are a woman; nobody suspects a woman being a legionnaire, since not many women are!...Second you have proved yourself to be very intelligent.....Third, Imsin the Dreamer said......." General Darius´face went all red...he shut his mouth looking very embarrassed, apparently he realised he said too much. "Never mind".

I nodded, trying to keep my face as emotionless as possible. Then General Darius bade me good-bye and wished me luck in performing the task. I surely needed that.

General Artorius told me to think of a suitable disguise, and then prepare to leave for Gnisis the day after tomorrow so I'd be there on time. I agreed and left the room.

First thing would be to go and see Imsin, I knew I wasn't allowed to, but I was convinced there was something bigger behind this, so I just had to take the risk. After the morning exercises, sword-training on a dummy, I sneaked out of the camp and went to Fort Buckmoth. Imsin was happy to see me; she dragged me into her office where she embraced me warmly. Naturally I could not stop the tears from running, so handing me a piece of cloth she laughed at me and said;

"Ok Renie, cry-baby, what brings you here?"

I wiped my face and told her about my meetings with General Darius, I told her everything, including the general's statement about her. Imsin looked at me with a stern face.

"Yes Serene, I told General Darius he had to pick you for this mission. It's direct orders from Caius Cosades in Balmora. The Emperor specifically stated that you, Serene, should do this.

Now you are not to get involved in any fighting or killing, you just have to keep eyes and ears

open."

"But Son..Ehh Imsin, what is the hook really?" I looked my old friend sternly in the eyes, "Please tell me the truth, and don't hide it from me."

"Ok", Imsin sighed, "We need names, and places...any information you can dig up is very interesting. The actions against the eventual plot will be taken by others; you don't have to worry."

I was happy I did not have to take action against the presumptive traitors; spying on them was bed enough as I told Imsin. She agreed but stated that you do not act against the Emperor's direct orders. I on my behalf was curious about why His Royal Highness absolutely craved ME to perform this. Imsin looked at me with a peculiar gaze;

"The Emperor had a dream.....in which a young woman from Cyrodiil played an important role; in fact this woman saved his life ....more than once. That's all I know."

Now I did not really believe her but she probably had a very good reason for not telling me more. Now it was time to find something that could explain my presence there......Imsin sat for a while thinking hard when she suddenly smiled at me;

"Serene, you should go there as a pilgrim," she said, "No fancy clothing, just plain and simple, and you should go to the market and pay a visit to Shulki!" I must have made a funny face, because she laughed at me, tapping my cheek and continued;

"Shulki Ashunbabi is a young Dunmeri woman who owns a stand at the small Market just outside the Temple in Gnisis, she is one of ours, I think she can provide you with a very good disguise; besides she may have some snippets of information you may find very useful."

I hugged Imsin goodbye and returned to the Camp, totally unnoticed. It was way beyond lunch and I was terribly hungry. As usual I had to rely on Lalatia Vabdas' kind friendship to redeem my raging hunger.

That night after dinner I invented my wardrobe. No fancy clothing Imsin had said...well I did not even own anything fancy anymore. All I had were the clothes I got from Edwinna Elbert, but they were old and worn and would suit perfectly for this task.

Early next morning, after breakfast, I asked for audience with General Artorius. I told him about my plans; he agreed to let me go as Pilgrim, and wished me good luck.

"Now Serene," he said, "You remember the words of General Darius, The Legion will not recognise you if you fail or get caught."

I nodded, that was all clear to me, and The Legion did not always look after their folks, a fact that I in no way supported. All I could wish for was that I, one day, would achieve the power to change certain things in The Mighty Imperial Legion.....


	20. Chapter 3 part 12

"_Serene, Serene of Cyrodiil, wake up child, you have an important day ahead of you, you must leave soon to fulfil your task. Fear not I will be with you as I always am."_

I sat up in my bed; drenched in cold sweat, Azura.....again the Dunmer goddess visited me as so many times before. I understood that this mission for the Legion in some way was prophesised; otherwise I would not have had this...dream?

Then I remembered Imsin´s words about the Emperor; "........_a dream.....in which a young woman from Cyrodiil played an important role; in fact this woman saved his life ....more than once."_

I shrugged and went to the washing area, with fear in my heart. It was always an ordeal this washing business; the washing-area consisted of a room with several large buckets filled with warm water, beside each a small piece of soap, towels in a heap in the left corner of the room. No problems for the men, they just entered, washed themselves and then went for a towel, and that was it. But for me it was a bit awkward, there were no shelters between the buckets, so normally I washed myself late at night when my male comrades were asleep.

This particular morning however I had no choice, I had to wash myself, whether there were others present or not. Three men were washing themselves as I entered, they were chatting happily amongst them but when they noticed me they became dead-silent. I walked to a bucket trembling with cold and fear and started washing myself, without looking at the three men. I could feel them staring at me, and for a second I almost felt sorry for them; they had probably not seen a woman in her nude for a very long time.

I heard some rambling behind me and a voice hissing:

"For Stendarr´s sake Larrius, do NOT even think of it...what if she reports it!!"

The next moment I was grabbed by strong arms, a big hand was put over my moth to prevent me from screaming; I struggled to get loose but I only managed to bang my head against the wall with an unpleasant smack, the last thing I heard before all went dark was;.........."No, don't do it."

I woke up with a terrible headache, and when I tried to raise my head from the cold floor I immediately vomited. I was cold, wet and sore, and realised that history just repeated itself. Once more I was molested by Imperial soldiers. Tears streamed down my face as I carefully rose to my knees and crawled to the nearest bucket. With trembling hands I tried to wash off the dirt and humiliation, with little success. I was shocked and I just couldn't get the tears to stop.

After washing myself until my skin was red and glowing I finally composed myself and got dressed in a plain brown skirt, a shirt which was worn but spotlessly clean and a hooded cloak. I also wound a long narrow piece of cloth around my waist and put on my oldest, most comfortable shoes. I did not have breakfast that morning; somehow I could not bear the sight of Imperial soldiers........

I did not report the men that molested me, there was no point in that; as there had been no witnesses and I had other options in mind. I was determined to get my revenge somehow.

I walked the short distance from the Camp to Ald´ruhn where I took the Silt-strider to Gnisis; as usual the driver was very kind to me, he offered me a blanket to pull over me since it was a really chilly morning, and a Silt-strider is kind of an open vehicle.

Gnisis was still one of the most miserable places in Vvardenfell, and the grey dull weather did not make it any better. It even started to rain as I headed for the Market.

I spotted a beautiful red-headed Dunmeri woman, in fact the only woman at this Market, at a stand selling all kinds of different stuff; clothes, pottery, herbs and some really nice bottles and vials. I guessed this must be Shulki Ashunbabi and approached her slowly.

"Heeey, Pilgrim," she said to me in a hoarse but friendly voice, "Ya need some holy oils, if ye gunna visit the Temple, I've got´em all."

I approached her, taking the hood off my cloak to reveal my face, then bent forward to have a closer look at the beautiful vials she had, at the same time I whispered to her;

"_Shulki, Imsin the Dreamer said you'd help me."_

The young Dunmer looked at me for a second then said in a rather loud voice;

"Yes m´am, I have those in my hut, follow me and we'll see."

I was astonished that she didn't question my appearance at all, but she gave me an explanation as we sat in her hut, cosily in front of the fireplace sipping hot tea.

"Ahh, I got a message from Imsin about three weeks ago that she would send a dark haired Cyrodiilic woman with strange-coloured eyes," she said with a laugh.

"I've been thinking about this matter you see," Shulki continued, "I know some of the cultists, but they act quite normal and their comrades know very little or even nothing about their plans."

"We need some sort of evidence that there actually is a plot," I answered.

Shulki told me that there was a shrine inside the Barracks-building, and she also told me how she knew that. In fact Shulki had another job besides selling stuff at the Market. She happened to be a very skilled dancer and so she used to dance for the soldiers at the barracks on Loredas´ nights. That was much appreciated by the soldiers but gave me an uneasy feeling, due to my experiences lately.

"I have a tryst with one of them," she told me, "His name is Oritius Maro and he's rather nice, but of course it's just for fun, not as if I´m going to marry him," she laughed when she saw my astonished face. "That's how I know there is a shrine in there and I have the feeling that it would pay off to get a chance of visiting it."

I started to get the hang of what Shulki was coming to when she asked me if I could dance, and also mentioned the name of another cultist who might be yearning for a woman.

We decided that Shulki should bring me with her next Loredas and introduce me as her fellow-dancer. I knew the basics of normal dancing but I suspected this was not going to be that kind of dance at all.


	21. Chapter 3 part 13

Shulki Ashunbabi turned out to be very good company during those days we spent together; she was amusing, cheerful, and generous. I stayed in her hut, a cave dwelling in the outskirts of Gnisis. Well in fact it actually was her sister's cave. Her sister Assumanu Mantiti was an egg miner and worked in Gnisis Egg mine, as her late husband had done before his unfortunate death. Bralyn Mantiti died from pneumonia due to the unhealthy environment in the cave combined with weak lungs. He caught a severe cold the previous winter and did not treat it properly, so it developed into pneumonia in both lungs and that ended his life in three short days. After that Assumanu asked her sister to come and live with her, to make the loss easier to bear.

Before moving in with her sister Shulki lived at a very small house outside Gnisis where she had her workshop- making pottery, straw-baskets and different potions out of local herbs and plants. She was a skilled alchemist as well as a pottery maker, no doubt; her teacher turned out to be the famous Baladas Demnevanni, the eccentric Telvanni-Wizard and mage, well known throughout Tamriel.

Shulki´s idea about how we should fulfil the task about finding evidence that the Talos Cult really was planning some plot against the Emperor began with.....Baladas Demnevanni! Since he was her teacher she was convinced that he would help us or at least give us some good advice.

It turned out that he did a lot more than that.......at least for me that was!

Shulki and I went to Arvs Drelen, the Velothi tower in the north-west part of the town, where Baladas had his residence. We found our way through the narrow corridors until we reached the large room in the middle of the building. On entering that room I nearly fainted with fear; a huge beast stood there yawning at us showing off a neat collection of razor-sharp teeth. It was a Daedroth, Shulki told me and it was complete tame, it just attacked on request from Baladas. Now I did not know that from the start so naturally I yelped and nearly passed out.

"Come, come, Tulsie," Shulki called to the creature, "You know Shulki, don't you, now this is my friend, Serene, and we're here to see The Master, so everything is all right, you go and eat your fodder huh?"

The Daedroth hissed a couple of times, waved its big head, still displaying the teeth and then shambled away to its bowl.

"There, Serene," she smiled at me, "Let's go up to uncle Baladas now, shall we?"

We went up a curved stair to the upper level of the room and thus met the man who was feared and respected by mages throughout a whole continent. He was rather tall, and his iron-grey hair was drawn back from a high brow in a low set ponytail. His red Dunmerii eyes showed that he'd seen perhaps more than he wanted to see of this world. He was wearing an expensive-looking robe in blue and turquoise and smiled at Shulki as she approached him with outstretched hands.

"Shulki, my child," he said in a dark but low voice, "What brings a lovely girl like you to visit an old bugger? And who may your Cyrodiilic companion be then?" Baladas Demnevanni looked straight into my eyes, and I felt a bit shaky, first the encounter with the Daedroth, and then with this old Dunmer whose appearance merged power and a great wisdom.

"Ah uncle, this is my friend Serene Catraso, she is one of us and......" Shulki was silenced by a gesture of Master Demnevanni´s hand.

"Shush child, you always talk before you think." Master Demnevanni still looked at me with a thoughtful gaze.

"Extraordinary eyes," he muttered and gave me his hand, "Welcome, Serene," he then continued, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.....I assume you have some magical skills, am I right?"

I swallowed and nodded, cleared my throat and said;

"Thank you Master Demnevanni, and yes I do have some minor healing-skills."

Baladas Demnevanni smiled at me and commented that humbleness was a virtue. Then he bade us sit down and snapped his finger twice, which resulted in the appearance of a young dark-haired Dunmer clad in a pale green robe whirling around his ankles. He bowed to Master Demnevanni;

"You called for me, Master?"

"Yes Fervas, could you please bring us some tea, if you would be so kind," Master Demnevanni said to the young man, who immediately bowed deeply and went off.

I was astonished yet very pleased to hear the wizard treat his staff in such a nice and polite manner. It proved to me that Baladas Demnevanni was a great man in spirit and I felt better than I had for a long time. My experiences of men had not been that good lately....

"So ladies," he leaned back and crossed his arms to his chest, "what exactly is your errand?"

Shulki told him of our task with the Talos Cult, in a vivid speech seasoned with extensive gestures. Baladas listened carefully, and inserted some leading questions now and then. After she finished he just sat quiet for a while looking out in the air thinking.

"What is your plan to solve this quest?" he finally said.

"I am going to bring Serene with me at the regular dancing-show that I perform every Loredas evening at The Barracks in Gnisis, in that way she has the opportunity of getting acquainted with Arius Rulician, the guardian of the Talos shrine.....and then...."

Once again Shulki was silenced by a gesture from Baladas, "I do understand child," he answered, "but I doubt Serene will be very happy to serve as decoy, considering..." He stopped talking and looked me sternly in the eyes. I started shiver.....I had a feeling that somehow this man could see right through me, read my mind.....somehow he actually **knew** what I'd been through. That was a stunning experience and I didn't know how to handle it.

"Now then, if I may advise you ladies, this can be done as follows," He put his fingertips together and outlined the plan;

"First we have to make sure this man Rulician really is charmed by Serene; to ensure that I think a special potion will make a great contribution." He smiled at us and continued;

"Naturally I have just the potion you need in my cupboard." He winked outrageously and again I felt better; here was a man of power who did not take himself too seriously. "Then we also must ensure that all the officers are deeply asleep when you ladies perform the delicate task of searching the Talos shrine for any evidence that may please your employer."

Baladas Demnevanni rose from the chair and went to his cupboard. From it he took out three vials of different colours and sizes.

"This one," he showed the red one," Is a potion that enhances your natural pheromones, so you become irresistible to the male of the species; now that doesn't only work for human males but also for all kinds of males, so take care, Serene," he noted with a faint smile.

"Now this one," now he showed the large blue one," Will render a very deep sleep to anyone who drinks it, so take care whose drink you put it in."

"The last one, Serene," he continued, " Is a potion that makes the user very scared because it makes the urine clear-blue, and besides that, the user has to stay very near a toilet, due to the pain in his stomach. I think you may have use for it."

With those words he handed me the vials and looked straight into my eyes.

"Amethyst colour they are .......those eyes of yours, extraordinary, and very rare. You must be the woman in my dreams, who shall ....."

I shrugged, how come this man knew so much?

"_Does he really know who I am and why I´m here?"_ I thought, looking back at him, concentrating on his wise eyes and impressive features.

"Yes Serene, I do know," he said in a low voice, "But we will not talk about that now."

I jumped, gasping for breath; this was unbelievable, he could actually read my thoughts; now I'd never be on my own again, I thought.

After receiving the potions we made our way back to Shulki´s place and started planning the details for this mission.

I reckoned I at first had to have suitable clothes........which were easily found in Shulki´s own wardrobe.

My outfit for Loredas was indeed very fancy, it consisted of a pair of black-dyed short leather trousers, a black leather bra and a thin ice-blue see-through veil to wrap around me or just let swirl as I was dancing. I felt awfully naked wearing this outfit and then to wear it in front of Imperial soldiers nearly paralysed me with fear....... Oddly enough, what comforted me was the memory of a pair of deep red eyes, the eyes of Baladas Demnevanni, looking deeply into my own.


	22. Chapter 3 part 14

Besides appropriate clothing I also had to learn how to dance the way Shulki danced for the soldiers. It turned out to be rather simple as the legionnaires were not very familiar with the more formal dances common to banquets or divine ceremonies, where dancing normally takes place.

The thing was to fulfil their dreams, in such a way that they should imagine they could conquer us, take us as trophies, surrogates for their wives and fiancées, all in a subtle imaginary way of course.......They were strongly forbidden to even touch us, unless they were willing to suffer a major punishment. All theses rules were set by General Darius himself, even though I strongly doubted he followed them by the book, remembering his dirty looks at me the first time we met, about 6 months ago.

Anyway we just had to act seductive and move our bodies in accordance to suggestive music, played on a fat Lute by a crippled young Redguard.

I must admit I did not feel very comfortable after Shulki had told me all that, but I was deeply involved by now and determined to go along with what was asked from me. Although I did not fully realize it at the time, I see now that following orders and being the best was a form of penance and redemption. I wanted to prove that I deserved the name and family I had been forced to leave behind.

The first Loredas evening as we made our way to the Barracks, the rain was pouring down just to add to my bad feelings. We were greeted at the doorway by a young legionnaire on duty, who also took care of our cloaks, hopefully to hang them somewhere they would dry up a bit.

The upper level of the Barracks was rather small, just a hall, with some tables and chairs, but the lower level contained, besides the beds of the legionnaires, 2 large rooms, one for the Camp Prefect, Optio Bologra, a harsh but righteous Orc, and one big combined dining- and living room. It was in this room our performance was to be held. Every Loredas evening they set up a small bar and one of the employees at Madach Trade house brought the drinks which he sold to the legionnaires at very reasonable prices. Extra income for the Trade house and a benefit for the garrison so to say, since the bar at the Trade house also was open to the public. Sadly, it was often necessary to restrict the legionnaires' contact with civilians, particularly when the soldiers had been drinking. Some ugly incidents had taken place in the past, so Darius set up these Loredas banquets as an alternative.

Even though it was rather warm inside the Barracks I was shivering, though I hoped my nervousness would not be that obvious to the soldiers; otherwise they might be suspicious.

We were showed downstairs into the dining room where we were offered some Cyrodiilic Brandy. I was somewhat astonished; I didn't think the garrison could afford such quality beverages, but then I realised it must have ended up here as a result of some business in the dark. Apparently Caius Cosades back in Balmora was right when he spoke about corruption in The Legion. But I had not the time to worry about the origin of the beverages of the garrison in Gnisis; there were other issues at hand right at the moment that would require my entire concentration.

As we sat sipping our Brandy at a small table in a corner, the legionnaires were swarming the room, filling it with harsh laughter and rough comments on what they'd expect from our performance.

A chill went down my spine along with a trickle of cold sweat; I found it somewhat hard to breathe and had to go inside my mind and recall Baladas Demnevanni´s looks at me when he told me he knew why I was in Vvardenfell in the first place. That calmed me down a bit.

Too soon the time came when Shulki and I was supposed to entertain the legionnaires. I saw her cheer up as a rather good-looking Cyrodiilic man entered the room and understood that he had to be Oritius Maro.....her "boyfriend". He brought another young Cyrodiil with him, a fairly young man in his early twenties I'd say, who at first seemed very shy but when he spotted me his eyes brightened and he just stared at me. That made me feel a bit uneasy at first, but the way he looked at me was more the way a young man away from home admires a pretty girl, so I almost blushed. After my terrible experiences at the hands of legionnaires, it was refreshing to have a young man look at me in such a sweet, innocent way. At the same time, it made me sad, as I wondered how long that innocence would last with such corrupt influences all around. As it turned out, I was right to wonder…

Oritius Maro hugged Shulki warmly and asked her who her companion was.

"This is Serene," Shulki announced loudly, "She's to accompany me in the dancing...just to entertain you guys more!"

A loud murmur of approval came from the men sitting at the tables, and they started to clap their hands.

"So gals, get yerselves up on them tables will ya`, and start dancin.´"

Two minor tables were at our disposal, right in the middle of the room they were put, so that everybody could watch us. We were supposed to dance upon those. I checked the tables briefly to ensure they would not break or turn over; I didn't want to fall down on the floor whilst dancing.

In the other corner the young redguard was sitting with his Lute, tentatively trying out some chords. He had no legs, just short stumps where they were supposed to be and I wondered what had happened to him but chose not to ask.....not now anyway.

The next hour was an orgy of sweat, heat, smoky atmosphere and noise....I moved my body like I never had done before, without thinking of what I really was doing. A quick glance at Shulki revealed a very attractive woman, sweat streaming down her body making her skin glow like raw ebony, hair red and wild whirling around her face, dancing with seductive moves on the small table.....Then I noticed the lustful looks of the men watching us, which caught me right in my stomach.

I did not dare to look at the men, but concentrated on my own moves. It must have been obvious that I had not done a thing like this before, but still the audience shouted with excitement. I wondered what would happen when we finished dancing though........

After one and a half hours of dancing we were allowed to take a break. My legs trembled with exhaustion as I climbed off the table; my entire body was wet from sweat, and I was panting heavily. We got some cold comberry-juice and more brandy. I was not sure I wanted more alcohol; I needed to be alert and not end up in some kind of trouble, considering my previous encounters with imperial soldiers....

Now rules are rules, so we were not to be abused, hopefully, but we had to do a second performance, and also change outfits!

Shulki knew that and thus she had brought some extra clothing with her. I was almost terrified when I saw what she had in mind for me to wear;, never would I show myself in an outfit like that, not in front of unknown men that was, I'd rather give the whole thing up........


	23. Chapter 3 part 15

Of course I couldn't give it up; I repressed my fears and changed clothes. This second outfit really was something quite special, it looked like armour on the upper part but below the waist it really was just two pieces of thin transparent cloth, one in the front and one at the back, hanging from an embroidered belt. Underneath, I had nothing....

As I sat in the small room waiting for Shulki to get ready, Azura paid a visit to me....

"_Serene, Serene, fear not, no harm will be done to you. You must fulfil this task, it is prophesied......I shall watch over you"_

"Serene...heey, wake up, are you OK?"

Shulki shook my shoulder and I opened my eyes looking up finding myself flat on the floor; I had no idea how I ended up there, I just remembered the swirling fog just before I heard Azura´s voice.

"Yes, I´m OK," I answered Shulki, rising to my feet. I had to wipe my face and armpits from sweat and sit down for a while to compose myself.

"Now what was all that about?" Shulki asked, "Are you ill or something? You just turned your eyes in-and-out, then you just fell off the chair....I hope you didn't hurt yourself!"

I told her I was OK and then I had to tell her a bit about my relationship with the divine Azura. Shulki looked at me and shook her head.

"There is something about you Serene, I don't know what, but Master Demnevanni noticed, he surely did....."

Anyway it was now about time we made our last performance for the evening; we could hear the rumbling of the soldiers eagerly waiting for their entertainment.

This session I performed with no fear, due to Azura´s reassurance and also to the image in my head; two calm wise eyes of an old wizard......_"I know why you are here."_

After a couple of minutes I felt as if I were out of my body, swaying above the scene, watching two women, one dark and one fair, dancing in intricate patterns, their dresses swirling around them, the light of the torches reflecting on their sweat-glistening bodies....And the music.....it filled the room with seductive temptatious tones....

Then it stopped......the room was silent for about 2 seconds before the men started applauding and shouting for more...

Shulki and I stood panting on the "stage" ....holding each other's hands; we both knew it had been a good performance, and all we could wish for now was that the rest would be as successful.

A tall sturdy legionnaire approached us; I recognized him as Oritius Maro, Shulki´s "friend", and together with him was that other young man who watched me during our first dancing session. Oritius introduced him as Arius Rulician, and then asked if we would like to take a drink with him and Arius.

"We'd like to change clothes first," Shulki stated, but Oritius shook his head,

"I´m afraid there is no time for that, the bar will close in half an hour so please follow me, ladies."

Oritius walked to the bar followed by Shulki, Arius and me. Arius couldn't take his eyes off me and I was beginning to think the attraction-perfume that Master Demnevanni gave me was not going to be needed, which was fortunate, because I had not put it on before our performance and now there would probably be no chance to do it.

We sat down at a table and Oritius brought the drinks, the best brandy the Madach Trade house could get hold of. Arius looked at me, blushing, and then he said:

"Oh...well...if I may ask....Miss Serene maybe you wish for something cold to drink after a performance like this"...he blushed again, then went to the bar and got a glass cold comberry-juice as well as a towel which he offered me to wipe the sweat off my face and chest.

I found that gesture very sweet and felt bad that I was to take advantage of him in order to complete my investigation. Anyway I thanked Arius for his kindness and downed the refreshment immediately. We had quite a nice evening and Arius asked if he could see me again, maybe as early as Morndas; he had the afternoon off and suggested a picnic in the mountains outside Gnisis. I agreed to meet him, and after that it was time to get going so Shulki and I bade the legionnaires good night and went to change clothes before going back home. Accepting his invitation was difficult- he seemed like a nice young man and all, but I was here on a mission, not for fun. Still, if there really was a plot against the Emperor, that was more important than some hurt feelings…. Remembering my purpose didn't really make me feel any better, but it did give me the determination to continue.

I slept like a log that night; a lot of exercise, drinks and tension made me literally collapse in bed. The next day we got up late, had breakfast and just spent the day relaxing. We made a trip to the shore; I was kind of eager to take a swim......that could have ended badly if Shulki hadn't been so skilled with her dagger.....

I really enjoyed slipping into the chilly water, and let myself float away, when suddenly a sharp pain in my back made me scream out loud. I quickly turned around just to face a large slaughterfish headed right towards me, mouth wide open displaying a set of really big teeth. I started swimming, screaming in agony; I knew about those monsters, how could I be that stupid not to make sure there weren't any where I planned to take my bath.

The fish caught me once more before I caught a glimpse of something swooshing just beside my head......the water then went red with blood and I just hoped it wasn't mine. I threw myself up on the rocky shore, bleeding from a wound on my lower back and one on my left calf. Shulki came rushing up, asking me if I was OK...

"By Nirn, Serene," she gasped, "That was a close one, but I think I got him, let's see."

Shulki went to the shoreline looking out on the water. Then she waded out and grasped for something under the surface, which turned out to be the huge fish....with her silver dagger deeply buried in its neck. She lifted the monster above her head and laughed;

"Hey, Serene, we've got our lunch organised! Slaughterfish is delicious!"

I laughed with her, but my laugh turned into a grimace when I examined my wounds; a deep cut in my calf and another one in the back, both bleeding rather severely. I felt dizzy and had to lie down for a bit......

The next time I opened my eyes I was lying in on my bedroll at Shulki´s cavern, feeling rather comfortable, warm and fuzzy. I was in no pain at all, just hungry.....very hungry, especially when I smelled the fish-stew that was cooking on the fire. Shulki had just entered with a basket filled with bread and some brown bottles.

"Hey, sweetie, you OK now?" Shulki kneeled beside me, gently tapping my hand, but there was someone accompanying her.....someone in a blue and turquoise robe.......


	24. Chapter 3 part 16

"Master Demnevanni?" I whispered, my throat was sore and I could hardly speak. The mage kneeled beside my bedroll, smiling warmly at me;

"Yes my child", he answered," Shulki was worried about you, so she brought me here. You've had a nasty infection Serene, with tremor and very high fever, in fact you nearly left us so...there were need for special measures. But I´m glad you finally woke up, that means you're going to be ok and that is very fortunate.....for us all as well as for ......" He stopped and sat just watching me.

"But....I don't understand" I said, what day is it? I was totally confused; surely it was just a few hours ago that the slaughterfish bit me?

"It's Fredas," Shulki smiled, "more than two-and-a-half weeks since that monstrous fish got you; we all have been worried to death for you, me, Arius, Oritius- even General Darius was here to see how you were!, And..and I had to bring Uncle Baladas, because I was at my wit's end."

I shrugged, two and a half week gone from my life...just like that! I must have looked very astonished because then Baladas Demnevanni took one of the brown bottles from Shulki´s basket and gave it to me;

"Drink this, Serene", he said, "It will get you strong quicker, and I will try to explain to you what you've been through."

"That wound you got really was not hard to heal, but there was, as I already told you, a nasty infection developing extremely fast, that was why you passed out....None of the common cures remedied it; Shulki tried all she knew of, so she came to me." Baladas sat himself down more comfortably, and I understood there was far more to this than I had suspected at first.

"It wasn't a fair sight I spotted when coming here, you were tossing and turning on the bed, sweating massively.....and your leg....was red and very swollen. At first we tried to cool you down with wet blankets, your temperature was dangerously high..." He stopped again, put his hand on my forehead, looking satisfied.

"I didn't know what to do, so I opened a portal back to Sadrith Mora to consult Master Aryon, one of my oldest friends; he supplied me with some very potent potions that normally cure anything rendered from beast-bites. It did no good on your condition, Serene, in fact you got even worse as time passed. Your tremor was really bad now and I feared you were going to die. "

A sobbing sound interrupted the mage's speech; Shulki, who had been present during all this time, cried when she remembered.

"So, being at my wit's end I got a premonition," Baladas continued, "that somehow provided me with an answer. You must be protected by the Divines, Serene, because some faint voice told me to seek counsel with one of the greatest wizards in the whole Tamriel.....a man of great powers, living in perfect solitude far away from civilisation; Master Divayth Fyr, the Lord of Tel Fyr....So I opened another portal and arrived on the island of Tel Fyr."

I sat up on the bed now, all ears; this was really getting more and more confusing.....I shivered and wrapped the blanket tighter around me....

"Divayth Fyr is probably, besides me," Baladas chuckled, "the most skilled magician you can find, and he actually had encountered a similar infection as you were suffering on one of his daughters, so he had made a remedy once, but that was ages ago so he wasn't sure he remembered exactly the recipe. He thus agreed to try and find it, as he always keeps record of his potions and spells and he was determined to find it. "

"It took time for the old Mer to search through his huge collection of parchment-rolls, and I was getting slightly nervous, remembering in what state you were when I left Gnisis. Anyway he found it and agreed to prepare the potion for me; he too was concerned about you," Baladas smiled.

"Why?" I asked, "Why would Divayth Fyr be concerned about me? Does he know me?" I was getting really worried now; it seemed as an awful lot of magicians and wizards knew of me and my mission here, and I was not sure how I really felt about that.

"Why, Serene, I told him about you, the prophecies we all know of, and you being part of them....well..."

"Anyway," Baladas continued, "I got the potion from Divayth, and opened the portal back here. Just in time as I would say, you were in an extremely bad shape and Shulki was convinced you already were dead, because she could not feel your breath anymore, you were all still and your face was ash-grey. I forced the potion into your mouth and made you swallow it. Then we just had to wait.......and so we have, not seeing any sign of recovery until two days ago when we noticed you were sleeping a good natural sleep. Imagine the joy we felt, when we understood you were going to be ok again."

I was pondering of this for a while; apparently I was playing a part in some prophecy here in Vvardenfell, how and why I had no idea, but it surely helped keep me alive anyway! Then a weird thing struck me.....I was a Redoran retainer...but those two wizards must surely be of considerable rank in Great House Telvanni. I could not grasp why some Telvanni-nobles would make so much effort to save someone like me......if it hadn't been for that prophecy....

Needless to say the rest of the day was very pleasant; we all shared the meal that Shulki prepared, together with some Mazte and Cyrodiilic brandy to finish it up with.

When Baladas Demnevanni left he told me to be prepared, because within the following two weeks I had to fulfil the task about finding proof of the plot against the Emperor. And meanwhile, now that I was recovered, Shulki and I were expected to dance for the garrison again.

Our dancing the following evening was not as extensive as it used to be, probably due to me having been ill. I also had severe problems with my outfits; during the last weeks I'd lost several pounds so nothing really fit me; everything hung loose around my body, not very seductive at all. Arius Rulician was very attentive also; he gave me a huge bouquet of Stone flower and Willow Anther, I found this very sweet and touching and it made me feel bad about what I was planning to do to this innocent young man.

I started seeing Arius Rulician on a regular basis the following week. He also succeeded in "persuading me" to join the Talos Cult. It seemed to be a normal Cult worshipping the old Emperor Tiber Septim, the Dragonborne, but after attending some meetings I sensed something foul, it was just very faint at the beginning but it seemed as though some of the Cult-members were a bit apart from the others; I really didn't know what to think about it.

Arius was the warden of the secret shrine in the cellar of Gnisis Barracks. He took me there to show me. It seemed as he was very proud of this important task of his, even though he apparently did not know what the shrine really was hiding. It consisted of an altar covered in a blue cloth. Upon it was a small chest, locked, and some candelabra beside it. When I asked what was in the chest he merely told me it was some secret holy artefact but that it was not meant for us ordinary members to know that, just the high rank leaders of the cult.

My chance to accomplish the task appeared the following Turdas, when Arius told me there was to be a meeting...or rather a sort of ceremony, in which all Talos-cult members were to wear black hooded cloaks, which hid their faces very well.....

I made some preparations just in case the opportunity to get into the chest in the shrine would appear; in a small leather purse I put the sleeping-potion given to me by Master Demnevanni, some ink, a quill, a piece of parchment and a good lockpick...all ready just in case..

I had no black, hooded cloak but Arius lent me his spare one, and since it was rather big on me it really hid my face very well. Arius met me in the hall the night of the occasion, put the cloak on me and led me down the stairs. We entered the room in which the ceremony was to be held, at a big round table six figures were seated, all in black cloaks; no one was to be recognised. Since I was the newest member it was my duty to prepare the brandy that was to be served. I was given a small package containing some common herbs to put in the liquor to make it more potent it was said. I was feeling rather nervous, a thin trickle of sweat ran down my spine, my hands were not exactly steady when I stood at a minor table in a corner of the room seasoning the brandy.

I stood turned away from the participants of the ceremony, mixing the herbs into the large jug of brandy in front of me.....then I carefully took out the blue vial that Baladas Demnevanni gave me at our first visit to Arvs Drelen, the one that caused deep sleep to anyone who consumed it. I quickly poured the contents into the jug, held it before me and then presented it to the cultists.

Baladas Demnevanni was right when he told me about the effects of that potion- within twenty minutes all the cultists were neatly asleep, heads on the table....except one who had fallen off his chair and snored loudly on the floor.

I was all wet from sweating; my heart beat as a sledgehammer, when I rapidly headed down to the shrine. The lockpick was doing its work nicely and when at last I opened the chest I realised that Shulki was right to suspect that the shrine was worth visiting. Inside the chest were a shimmering soul gem, three diamonds, and.....a piece of parchment! I unfolded the parchment, and my heart nearly stopped as I read the words written on it:

**There are rumours that Uriel will be visiting Vvardenfell in person. If so we must act sooner than anticipated. We must watch his actions carefully and strike if the opportunity presents itself. We must also recruit more and swear them to the oath: That we shall die to put a strong man back on the throne of Tamriel.**

**Burn this note.**

**Oritus**

The words were written in Daedric, I could read them but I was supposed to copy the note to avoid suspicion, and I was not that skilled in this strange language so I just took out my writing equipment and started copying:

**There are rumours that Uriel will be visiting Vvardenfell in person. If so we must act sooner than anticipated. We must watch his actions carefully and strike if the opportunity presents itself. We must also recruit more and swear them to the oath: That we shall die to put a strong man back on the throne of Tamriel.**

**Burn this note.**

**Oritius**

I could hardly hold the quill; my hands were wet from sweating and shaking severely. The knowledge that Oritius Maro was the head of the plot was frightening me terribly. I had to see to it that he didn't harm Shulki.....I put my copy of the note back in the chest and put the original one in my bag. Unfortunately I could not lock the chest, but I hoped no one would really think about that...

After that I hurried out of the Barracks and headed towards Madach Trade house where I most certainly would find General Darius. No need to say that he was pleased with me, except for one little thing.....he asked me if I'd killed the traitors, by which he meant Oritius and Arius. When I denied this, he looked at me rather annoyed and wanted to know why.

"I´m a mage and healer," I answered, "I do not kill people, I use cunning and magic instead! you got your proof, now I leave it to you."

General Darius was a man who was accustomed to having his orders followed, so when he told me to go back and end the traitors´ lives, I said I would do it right away, but in my heart I was thinking of other options.....

I went out of Madach Trade house, tears running down my face. I could not go back to the Barracks and kill Oritius and Arius in cold blood, I had neither the courage nor any wish to do such a thing. The General had gotten his proof; as far as I was concerned he could do his own killing. My steps led me to Arvs Drelen, to the only one who could possibly help me out of this ordeal...

As I entered Baladas' chambers a very familiar voice spoke, at first I could not see, my sight was blurred with tears but I surely recognised the hearty embrace from.....Imsin the Dreamer, of all persons!

"Renie, sweetie, ye ´ave done well.....don't ya cry no more, yer gonna be jus´fine....listen te aunt Sonya an´uncle Baladas now.....shush now, love, an´come ´ere an´ have a lil´pick-me-up."

I followed her to a couch and sat down, drying my face with a corner of Arius´cloak. I was given a golden reddish liquid that tasted wonderful and soon had me all calm and composed again.

"The General wants me to kill them," I said in a thin voice, "but...but I can't commit cold-blooded murder even if they are to assassinate the Emperor."

"I know you can't do that," Baladas said calmly, "That's why Imsin is here; she is superior to General Darius and will take appropriate actions against the traitors....and the General."

"Aye," Imsin stated, "I know what te do, be sure of that, but Serene, when ya first arrived I told ya te come te me for a task that would please ya...remember?"

I nodded silently and waited or her reply......and when it came I was really happy for the first time this horrible evening.....

Imsin handed me a parchment with my new orders......a letter from the Emperor's office saying that I was to go east, to the Grazelands.....to be of aid and support to one of the native tribes of Vvardenfell.....the Ahemmusa Tribe.

I was also given a letter of introduction to the Wise Woman of the Tribe, Sinnamu Mirpal. I hesitated hearing that name.......it was familiar to me and I finally remembered.....my first evening in Balmora...The Eight Plates.....the young Ashlander that I spent that night with. And who really never left my heart....

Baladas Demnevanni offered to let me to stay with him for a couple of days before leaving for the Grazelands...to learn some useful spells and prepare suitable potions....that could be of use out there. I agreed on that but wanted to tell Shulki that I was leaving.....when she suddenly appeared in the chamber...out of nowhere as it seemed.

"Telepathy," Baladas smiled at me, "I told you I was rather good at it didn't I?"


	25. Chapter 4 part 1

_It's not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what's required_

**Sir Winston Churchill**

**Chapter 4 Ashlander Affairs**

I stayed another week at Arvs Drelen, being a devoted scholar of Baladas Demnevanni, who in fact was more of a father to me than Rufus Vantinius back in Cyrodiil ever had been. I learned a horde of spells suitable for, if nothing else, keeping me alive in the harsh country I was to encounter.

It was with mixed feelings I took leave of Baladas and Shulki an early Turdas-morning as I was bound eastwards to the Ahemmusa Camp. Master Demnevanni had given me a nice set of potions and scrolls; Shulki gave me a wonderful cloak made of softened netch-leather, dyed in dark green with complicated embroideries along the edges. She had spent over a year making this robe and it was originally meant for her wedding. I first refused to accept it but Shulki urged me to it, since she was convinced that I saved her life by revealing the Talos Cult plot, and she was now to move in with Master Demnevanni and devote herself to follow in his footsteps; therefore she was not going to marry anyway. I then embraced her, tears running down my face, and accepted the wonderful gift and wished her all luck. I was really sorry to leave Gnisis; Shulki and Baladas Demnevanni were the only family I had....so far.

I went by Silt Strider to Khuul, a small fishing-village on the north-west coast of Vvardenfell. The rain was pouring down as I arrived and I hurried along the road leading from the Strider port to the village itself. Luckily my cloak was impregnated with Shalk-resin so it resisted the rain very well. Nevertheless I arrived at the actual village dripping from rainwater and extremely hungry. I asked around for some services and was shown to Thongar´s trade house, a rather simple place but where I at least could buy some bread and Scrib-jelly.

I also found out that in order to get to Ahemmusa Camp the best thing to do was to take a ship to Dagon Fel and then walk from there. I wasn't all that happy about going by boat, since the weather still showed no improvement; in addition to the pouring rain a rather hard wind had started whirling around and the sea did not look friendly at all. I can't stand the sea and I did not fancy losing my lunch to the sea-creatures, so I decided to ask Thongar, the Nordic proprietor, if I could wait a couple of hours in his house. I was allowed to sit down in a corner and so I did.

I must have fallen asleep sitting there because suddenly I was aware of some movement just beside me and when I opened my eyes I spotted Thongar´s hands deep down my in backpack, I immediately grabbed his wrist muttering:"**'M feinedd balf fferrir", **and watched him grow pale as my grip turned his arm to a frozen piece of meat. Master Demnevanni´s spells were indeed very efficient and this one, "Icy Grip" was no exception…

"So, what are you looking for?" I asked coldly and relieved my grip so the blood could circulate freely in his arm again. The incredible pain as the frozen limb started to gain normal temperature was clear in his face; sweat was dripping from his forehead and he moaned as he desperately rubbed his arm.

"N-N-nothing, nothing at all" he gasped, looking hatefully at me, "Get out of here immediately. You cursed Witch".

I saw no reason to disobey him, so after checking that nothing was actually stolen from me I went out of the Trade house and down to the docks. The wind had eased a bit and I bought a one-way ticket to Dagon Fel. I must have been rather exhausted, because I slept most of the trip, and arrived the following morning in Dagon Fel, the biggest Nordic settlement on Vvardenfell. It was a rather nice town, a mixture between grey wooden shacks and some patchwork stone houses surrounded by a wall….partially torn down though.

A tall blonde woman greeted me as I stepped off the ship, wondering if I needed some accommodation during my stay. She told me her name was Mette and that she could recommend "The End of The World Renter Rooms" where she currently was employed, as a scout. I found the name of the accommodation rather amusing considering that I actually was at the End of Vvardenfell at the moment, so I followed her there. I was offered a rather large room, with a bed, a small table and a large drawer in it. On the table I found a book that caught my interest, not so much the title, but the author: "The True Noble's Code" written by Serjo Athyn Sarethi. I remembered Neminda mentioning him back in Ald´Ruhn as I joined the Great House Redoran…..

I laid down on the bed and started reading the book…..getting more and more doubtful the more I read; How could I possibly fit into The Great House Redoran? A house filled with noble warriors, worshipping the Tribunal, a thing I had not even the faintest clue what it really meant…..I shrugged and put the book aside…….closing my eyes for a bit.

Until this day I can't tell what exactly woke me up, I only know that if something had not wakened me that bright morning at The End of The World, it really would had been The End of Serene Catraso, that's for sure!

I don't know what happened besides that I was sound asleep one minute and standing beside the bed, sword in hand, the next. I saw nothing, but a distinct prickling of my neck told me there was something there waiting for me. I turned around once more when a dark figure seemed to materialize out of the shadows, with a shiny sword in its hand. I realized that his armour was made of a light-absorbing material. I had no time to notice anything more, as he attacked with a ferocity I had never before encountered. I was able to use the greater reach of my long sword to advantage, keeping away from many of his attacks. Still, a significant number got through, and I felt something warm and wet run down the left side of my body. I fought without thinking, the instinct of survival made me launch a series of strokes that finally pressed my opponent into a corner of the room where I could finish him off with a lethal stroke to his stomach. As he sank to the floor, severely bleeding and his intestines visible through the deep cut I had given him I myself fell to my knees, panting from exhaustion, sobbing hysterically from grief of having to kill someone.....again!

I eventually calmed down and started to investigate my own wounds. Luckily I had taken off Shulki´s beautiful cloak or it would have been completely ruined. My shirt, soaked with sweat, had a long bloody rift in the left side, showing where the attacker had hurt me the worst. The cut was about 6 inches long and rather deep, since blood still was emerging from it in a rather heavy flow. I felt dizzy for a moment but managed to put my hand on the cut and concentrate. It was hard this time; my heart was still beating heavily and the sweat made my skin slippery so I wasn't able to heal myself as swiftly as I used to. Finally I just tied a bandage made from the sleeves of my ruined shirt around me and hoped that would be sufficient.

Then I remembered the potions I got from Master Demnevanni, and I indulged myself with a small healing-mixture. Feeling much better and invigorated I started examining the body of my attacker. He was a young skinny Dunmer with a strange tattoo on his forehead. His armour was of very high quality; in addition to its light-absorbing properties, it also was designed to dampen sound. That would explain why nobody came to my aid in this fight. The sword was made from a material I never encountered before, strong yet very light and shiny. I decided to take custody of that sword and somehow find out what it was made of. I reckoned some Armourer would have the answer to that. I thoroughly wiped the sword clean from my own blood and put it on top of the chest of drawers.

Now the problem remained; what was I supposed to do with the corpse? I had no intention whatsoever to stay at The End of The World; if there had been one attack there could very much likely be another, especially since this attacker was unable to get back to whoever employed him and report me as being dead.....I was almost certain there had to be an employer of some kind- too many strange unexplainable things had happened to me since I got to this Island; an attempted murder did not really surprise me, just made me feel very sad, mostly because I had to kill another human being, something that I had already done a couple of times even though I resented it deep in my heart.

I took the sheets from my bed and wrapped the corpse in them and shoved him in under my bed. Then I unwrapped my bandage, seeing that the wound was almost healed, just a red scar remained stretching from under my left breast to the hipbone, the scar was sore and prevented me from bending and moving freely, but didn't really bother me that much. Obviously the sword that made that wound was extremely sharp, otherwise it wouldn't have cut that deep.

I also realised I'd have a problem finding something to wear, that ruined shirt was my last one, as were the trousers I was wearing, dirty, stained with blood and sweat, they were at least not torn but I did not fancy wearing then anyway. It seemed as I had nothing left except a dancing dress that Shulki had given me because it was anyway too small for her. It was an extremely short black one with shoulder straps, not much to wear during a journey and definitely not anything I would think of wearing when walking around in Dagon Fel.......


	26. Chapter 4 part 2

It turned out I had no other choice than put that dress on, together with my leather cloak and step down the stairs to the bar at the ground floor of The End of The World. I was freezing in my odd outfit and could hardly prevent my hands from shaking when I approached the counter. Standing there, calmly sipping from a large goblet, was a tall well-built Nordic woman with a shiny red-blonde hair floating down her back. She was dressed in a brown and blue woollen shirt with a fur-collar, over a brown long skirt and gave me a curious look as I came closer.

"Ye look as if yer freezin´ Miss" she gave me a friendly smile, "C'mon `ave a Mead, it'll warm ya up." The woman nodded at the barkeep and gave me her hand.

"Anja Swift-Sailer, at yer service. Drink's on me tonight; me longboat's all ready by now, time te celebrate!"

I felt at ease hearing that Nordic tongue again, it reminded me of Sonya and thus my eyes filled with tears; the recent events rushed back upon me and my legs felt weak so I had to lean on the counter for support.

"Aye, lassie, wassup?" Anja grabbed my shoulders and led me to a chair and sat me down; really, she carried me to the seat, for my legs just bent under me and all went black for a minute. Anja pressed my head down between my knees in order to prevent me from fainting...and the blood slowly went back to my head again. I then tried the drink that was put in front of me and it really did warm me up a bit, but not as much as the friendly confident Nordic woman beside me.

Anja was very cheerful this afternoon; she was the proud owner of a small freight-company inherited from her father. This very day her new longboat had been delivered and now she could take passengers as well as freight. Unlike the open boats of the type, this one had a deck covering the hold and was powered by sails instead of oars. That made it easy for one person to operate in the islands off the north coast of Vvardenfell. We had a couple of drinks in the bar and I told her I was going to the Ahemmusa Camp. She offered to take me there by boat, which I welcomed. I just had to get myself some clothes first so she followed me to Heifnir the Trader. I bought some plain warm clothes that were also suitable to wear at the Camp. I had a feeling that it would be a mistake to appear at an Ashlander camp in Imperial finery; the Ashlander's antipathy toward the Empire was well known. If I were to have a chance with the nomadic Dunmer, the first impression would be critical.

Anja and I got on very well together; she was well liked throughout Dagon Fel and being with her granted me the same friendliness among the mostly Nordic population. We went to her house and she cooked me a hearty dinner as well as letting me use her washing-facility. I felt very good sitting in the large wooden barrel that she used as bathtub, deep down in hot water seasoned with Heather.

"Ye like ´aving a bath, lassie?" Anja smiled as she washed my back with a piece of sload-soap, "My, my ye´ve ´ad a good beatin´up I reckon, lots a bruises ´ere, them must be botherin´ya!"

I was still rather sore from the fight with that assassin in black armour, but the hot bath and Anja´s gentle rubbing of my back relaxed my tense muscles and eased the pain of the bruises.

Since Anja was kind enough to let me sleep on her couch that night I was rather refreshed when I woke up the following morning. No assassination-attempts disturbed my sleep. Just as the edge of the sun peeked over the horizon, we set sail on Anja´s new ship.

The sea was calm and clear this morning as we went south-east through the Dagon-Fel archipelago, small islands and pointy rocks were scattered along our route. I who could not take the sea did not get sea-sick at all; I enjoyed very much sitting on deck in the bright sunshine watching the surroundings. I did see a couple of cliff-racers though, which made me feel a bit uneasy!

We reached the location of the Ahemmusa Camp at sunset. The boat drew too much water to go near the shore so Anja took me there in a small dinghy. We parted on good terms and I had to promise to let her know next time I went to Dagon-Fel....so we could meet.

There I was now, all alone on a strange shore. According to a map Anja had made, the Ahemmusa Camp was right behind the hills in front of me. I enjoyed the beautiful landscape as I headed up the small hill, but was abruptly interrupted by a hoarse voice;

"Stay exactly where you are woman, or you may greet your ancestors on the other side."

I froze and held my breath, I berated myself for not being attentive; this was the wilderness and such behaviour could easily be fatal. I heard footsteps behind me and soon enough I was grabbed by the shoulder and briskly turned around, facing a young Dunmer with fiery red hair in two braids embracing an emotionless face. He aimed at me with an impressively big crossbow, circling around me, smirking;

"What are you doing here Imperial? You are not wanted in this area; its Ahemmusa land here, we want no interference.....Get out of here!"

I swallowed, cleared my throat and told him I had to speak to the Ahemmusa Wise Woman. Apparently he did not believe me, for he grumbled something, and spat on the ground deliberately near my feet. Still, he couldn't be sure, so he scowled and pushed me forward.

"Move it, outlander, let's see what our Gulakhan will say about this!"

I entered the Ahemmusa Camp as a prisoner, and was lead directly to a huge yurt surrounded by other huge yurts situated in a half-circle around a fireplace. There were not many people strolling around in the camp, and those who were did not pay any attention to me and my guard.

"Dutadalk, it's me Sallit, may I speak with you on a matter of great importance?" My guard announced before we could enter. A dark voice answered from inside; apparently granting the audience, for Sallit pushed me inside and followed tight behind.

The interior of the tent was simple but completely functional, a fireplace in the middle, a bedroll, some urns and sacks, even a small table and two chairs were standing on one side. Since the tent was circular all things were placed along the sides in circumference to the fireplace. It was rather dark inside; the tent was only lit by two minor lamps, one at the table and one hanging on the wall beside the bedroll.

The man who appeared out of the darker area was tall and skinny, but seemed rather friendly; he pushed his long black hair out of his eyes and looked curiously at us asking;

"What is it this time Sallit? Weren't you supposed to try and find those missing guars? What you have brought doesn't look like a guar to me....."

"Gulakhan Dutadalk, I found this Imperial walking on the shore. What shall we do with her?"

"I ...." That was as far as I got before Sallit hit me hard in the face and I tasted blood. Fury at the blow rose up in me, but I did not say anything. My mission was too important, and I knew that I had to succeed.

"No need for that!" the Gulakhan snapped at Sallit, "Let her talk!"

"I would like to speak with the Ahemmusa Wise Woman," I said, "I have this letter of introduction."

I took out the piece of parchment Imsin had given me and showed the Gulakhan. He turned away from me grumbling, trying to pretend not to see it. Instead he told Sallit to take me to the Wise Woman's yurt. Sallit started to protest but was immediately given a sign to be quiet.

The Wise Woman's yurt was considerably bigger than the others, and was situated outside the main circle of yurts in splendid solitude to mark the importance of its inhabitant.

Sallit just pushed me forwards and told me to enter, and then he disappeared. I hesitated for a moment, and then went inside. When my eyes got used to the darkness I noticed that this yurt was like and yet not like the Gulakhan´s yurt. It was bigger; the walls were covered with beautiful pieces of tapestry, woven in intricate patterns in dark earthy colours, and the floor had lots of carpets, lying almost on top of each other, in order to entirely cover the ground. Behind a screen I noticed a bedroll, a lamp and some books. Big urns were standing around the walls and there were also a chest of drawers, with some alchemical equipment on top.

But most conspicuous was the woman who came towards me, a tall slender woman with a noticeably fair complexion for being a Dunmeri, dark red eyes and silver hair, clad in a shirt that was like a piece of art, made from softest leather, embroidered throughout its front, with pearls, precious stones and cliff racer plumes put together in an intricate pattern. I was stunned and it took a second or two before I noticed the woman was talking to me, in a melodious voice.

"You wish to speak with me?" I then looked at her face; there was something familiar about that face, as if I actually knew her.....

"I greet you, Wise Woman of the Ahemmusa," I said bowing my head out of courtesy, "I have been sent to you, and I have this letter, issued by Imsin The Dreamer of Fort Buckmoth."

I handed her the letter, still not knowing what was so familiar about her. She took it but did not open it; instead she looked straight into my eyes, took my hand and said;

"The Ahemmusa welcome you, Serene."

Her hand touching mine sent a whirling sensation right through me and then I knew where I'd met her before......


	27. 27 Chapter 4 part 3

"_I watched the faces of the people around me- there was Tamara and four more of Ranya´s sisters, and their mother, all six with the beautiful red hair that obviously ran in the family, and another elderly woman who I didn't recognize."_

Cyrodiil, the day after I ran away from home, the Dunmer settlement....the elderly woman I did not recognise then, that was who stood in front of me now.

"Serene, my child, Azura sent you to us, to help the Ahemmusa." With those words, the Wise Woman bade me sit down by the fireplace.

I did not understand how I could be of any use to these people, who did not even like me, as far as I understood, but the Wise Woman's next words made a chill run down my spine;

"I have followed your ways, ever since that day back in Cyrodiil, I've been with you, been watching over you."

The universe started spinning, faster and faster.......the atmosphere became chilly, a cloud engulfed me and there she was, Azura, my Guardian-Angel, clad in lightest blue as she swayed in front of me, touching my forehead;

"_Serene, fear not! I am still with you, guiding you on your path......You shall help my people; use your skills and your intelligence for the good of all and you will be greatly rewarded."_

The world stopped spinning around me and I came back to my senses found myself lying on the floor beside the fire, the Wise Woman sitting next to me, offering me a cup of tea, not the usual hackle-lo, from the smell. I did not ask, just downed it.

"I hope you are feeling well, Serene," she said, "I will introduce myself to you, I´m Sinnamu Mirpal, the Wise Woman of the Ahemmusa and also their leader."

"_She´s old Serene," he then said. "It´s too much for her leading the tribe in combat as well as being their spiritual leader __and healer, and she can´t prepare the potions we need! The tribe is falling apart, the young ones are leaving for greener pastures, the older ones are too weak to hunt for the support of women and…and there have been no children born in several years, due to some unknown curse. Azura knows we need a new generation…..oh what will become of my people?" _

I heard that voice in my head now as clearly as if he was sitting right beside me.

"Sedrane...." my voice was but a whisper.

"Yes, my son met you," Sinnamu said, "I sent him to Balmora to seek you, since I had a vision of you being in Vvardenfell. You see, Azura is the link between you and me, therefore I knew you had arrived."

"But why me?" This question had haunted my mind since the day I stepped off the boat in Seyda Neen, more than eight months ago, and now I hoped to finally get an answer, since this woman seemed to be able to look into the future.

"That is a long story, Serene, and I will not give you an answer yet; it is best for you if you do not know everything."

Sinnamu Mirpal arranged for me to move in with her. A second screen was placed in a way that rendered me a spot of my own, complete with a bedroll, a small chest, a lantern and a bedside table. That first night at the Ahemmusa camp I had a very deep and undisturbed sleep, which did wonders for my state of mind. The assassination attempts had really got to me, but hopefully those men-in-black now had lost track of me, out here in the middle of nowhere.

It would later turn out that it is not wise to take anything like that for granted.

My first week at the camp was rather uneventful. I took part in the daily life of the Ahemmusa tribe. Everything was made by hand; even functional items were works of art.. The tribe was mainly guar-herders but they also grew some wickwheat, saltrice and ash-yam. That made their diet rather monotonous and not especially nutritious, and I pondered about how this could be changed. The area in which the camp was situated, the Grazelands, was a rather good farming-land so there should be an opportunity to enhance their farming.

Sedrane, Sinnamu´s son, was out on a scouting mission, trying to find some better pastureland for the herds. As it was now, the guar could hardly find anything to eat close to the camp. That was another problem the Ahemmusa faced- with so few able-bodied members, their grazing range was restricted. The guar had to be protected from predators or even theft from outcast Ashlanders.. I waited eagerly for Sedrane's return, curious about how I would feel seeing him again, since I had a very clear memory of our last meeting.

He came back on the afternoon of my 10th day at the Ahemmusa Camp. It was a chilly time of the year, and the wind that blew over the plains was hard and made me wish that I had some warmer clothes to wear. I had received a large guar-skin from Sinnamu and was working on a pair of trousers and a tunic suitable for the harsh autumn weather, but the outfit was far from being completed as I had to learn every step of the process from Nummu, a kind young woman who besides being a herder also was very skilled in making clothes from guar-hides. I had cut out the different parts and now I had to perform the onerous work of making holes along the sides to be able to stitch the parts together.

This particular day I had been working with my trousers for three hours and felt that I needed a bit of fresh air, so I went for a small walk around the camp. I spotted a tall man approaching from the west, so I stopped, waiting for him to come closer. Strangely enough I was not afraid, maybe I knew subconsciously that there was no danger ......

When he recognized me his face was all smiles.

"Serene.....at last you´re here," he sounded happy to see me, and he took my hand, held it and looked at me.

"Welcome to the Ahemmusa," he said, and the sound of his voice made my legs get weak. It was as if we had parted just the day before. A heat rushed through my body, and I could not utter a word. There was something stuck in my throat.....I swallowed to prevent the tears from running when he gently kissed my forehead.

Sedrane was greeted by his clan who were eager to find out if he´d found some new grazing for the herd. Unfortunately he couldn´t provide the answer that they wished for.

That night when we sat around the fireplace in Sinnamu´s yurt, Sedrane told me a bit about the hard reality the tribe was encountering at the moment, and also the constant misfortune that seemed to haunt the Ahemmusa. This is the story he told me that chilly Frost Fall-evening, so long ago....

"We had been hunting for several hours. Usually the game was good in this area, but lately there had been less and less. We had found nothing, and we were beginning to feel we should give up and go home. Suddenly a cry rose in front of us, and several bandits, outcast Ashlanders by the looks of them, rose from their places of concealment and began to run toward us, brandishing daggers and shortswords." Sedrane looked into the fire, his dark red eyes sad with the memory.

"We quickly began to fire arrows at the bandits, realizing that this was an encounter that would end in the annihilation of one group or the other. As we fired, we sent Mabarrabael, the fastest runner among us, back to the camp to inform the Wise Woman of what had happened. The rest of us continued to fire arrows. Many simply bounced off the chitin armour the bandits were wearing, but one bandit pitched backwards off his feet with a shriek, an arrow protruding from his eye. Another fell with an arrow embedded in his stomach."

Sedrane paused, took a sip from a pitcher with herbal tea and continued:

"The bandits had now gotten too close for archery, so we drew our daggers and prepared for close combat. As the outcasts reached us, the melee quickly broke up into several small fights. The bandits were outnumbered, but they had tough chitin armour, whilst we only had Netch Leather armour."

I listened to this tale with rising horror, Not knowing what to say, I just took Sedrane´s hand in a futile attempt to comfort him.

"Uradras swiftly fell beneath a brutal shower of blows from a bandit wielding a shortsword, blood gushing from several wounds to his torso and head. Addarnat and one of the outcasts were grappling on the ground, but this ended when Addarnat broke the grip of his attacker and quickly slashed his dagger across the bandit's throat. Bright red blood gushed forth from the terrible wound, and the bandit fell choking on his own blood."

Sedrane looked at me, and seeing me shiver, he put his cloak around my shoulders, asking if I'd like him to stop. I noticed Sinnamu sitting quiet, eyes closed, but her lips moved silently as if she was praying…..

"The bandit with the shortsword still remained, and his longer reach had taken its toll on us. Two more of us were down, and Mansillamat was bleeding from several wounds to his arms and face and would not survive the next hour. Assama-Ilen rushed to his fellow's aid, but was not quick enough. Just before he came within striking distance, the bandit beheaded Assama-Ilen with a brutal backhanded swipe of his sword."

I felt physically ill now; I never had liked violence and bloodshed, so this tale of an event that happened less than a month ago really got to me. I shivered and could not stop the tears from coming.

"How did it end?" I whispered as Sedrane sat silent

"With a scream, I threw myself at the bandit, plunging my dagger into him over and over, each strike drawing forth a gout of blood. Eventually the dagger broke, but the bandit was now a red stain that was unrecognizable as ever having been a Dunmer. Wearily, I stood up and slowly began to walk back to the camp with a heavy heart."

Sedrane bowed his head in anguish, and I embraced him saying nothing. No words can describe how I felt at that moment; I just held him close to me.

"We didn't have a healer with us, Serene," he said, "otherwise the loss would have been minor….but our healer is dead."


End file.
